Fake psychologist jailed

A man who defrauded WorkSafe and the Transport Accident Commission by using fake university certificates to register as a psychologist has been jailed today. Dusan Milosevic, who arrived in Australia from Serbia in 1996, provided a false Bachelor Degree and a Masters Degree to the Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria for registration as a psychologist in 1998.

He began practising in 2001 and over a seven-year period treated more than 150 WorkSafe and TAC patients, conducted more than 7000 consultations and received over $1m in payments. County Court Judge Liz Gaynor said suspicion was raised in 2008 when Milosevic continued to claim payments for his work while he was overseas. Milosevic, 48, pleaded not guilty to two counts of using a false document, one of obtaining financial advantage by deception and 29 of obtaining property by deception. Milosevic claimed he obtained the qualifications from the University of Belgrade; however, the court was told there were more than 30 differences in the documents provided to the board and those legitimately issued by the university. He was found guilty by a jury last month.

In one of the most significant prosecution outcomes for WorkSafe, Milosevic was sentenced to five years and two months jail, with a non-parole period of two and a half years. In sentencing in the County Court today, Judge Gaynor said Milosevic’s actions were a breach of regulations designed to protect people needing psychological care. “Registration ensures that the vulnerable cannot be exploited by the inexpert, the unskilled or the unqualified,” Judge Gaynor said, noting that Milosevic showed no remorse and still maintained that he had proper qualifications. Milosevic was also ordered to repay just over $35,000 to WorkSafe and the TAC.