A Downer woman who helped produce $3200 in counterfeit money has been convicted and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service.
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The ACT Magistrates Court heard Ellie Maree Trewartha, 23, was a young, drug-addicted mother in an abusive relationship when she helped produce 64 fake $50 notes in 2008.
Defence lawyer Paul Edmonds said Trewartha had been a reluctant participant in the counterfeiting and only agreed because of pressure from her then partner, Frank Daniel Skeen.
The court heard the matter had been delayed for years because Skeen fled the territory in 2009 and went on the run for two years before he was caught and extradited back to the ACT in June.
In October, he was sentenced to five months' jail for counterfeiting money.
Mr Edmonds said Skeen had supplied Trewartha with drugs when she was just 17, leaving her addicted to drugs, and had assaulted and abused her during the course of their relationship.
She had had the court matter ''hanging over her'' for three years and feared losing custody of her young son.
But the Commonwealth prosecution argued that the offence was serious and merited a term of imprisonment.
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said Trewartha had been in a destructive relationship that began in her teens and she was a vulnerable new mother of 20 when she took part in counterfeiting the money.
But she noted Trewartha's role had been limited to cutting out stars for the fake notes.
Ms Walker said she was reassured that the young woman had had a clean record since 2008, indicating that the offence was ''an aberration that came about because of your abusive relationship''.
She placed Trewartha on a good-behaviour bond for two years, with supervision and probation for the first year, and ordered her to perform 120 hours of community service.
