An “extremely remorseful” former reality TV personality wiped away tears as she avoided jail for fraud and drug offences in what she described as her “last chance”.
Jordan Ray Finlayson was dressed in a black dress, a black blazer and beige heels as she appeared at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Friday to be sentenced for a litany of fraud and drug offences.
The 33-year-old appeared on reality TV show Beauty and the Geek in 2011 before falling into a drug binge, culminating in her arrest last year for driving under the influence.
The former NRL entertainer was later released on bail under strict conditions requiring her to report to police three times a week.
However, police discovered that he had falsified four medical certificates to avoid going to the police station as planned.
Officers thought the documents were legitimate until they were granted access to his phone and discovered multiple medical certificates with obvious discrepancies.
Finlayson’s lawyer, Matthew Eurell, said his client accepted that tampering with the certificates to avoid complying with a court order amounted to “very serious offences”.
“Mrs Finlayson accepts that what she did was wrong,” he said.
A “very remorseful” former reality TV star Jordan Ray Finlayson wiped away tears as he avoided jail time for fraud and drug offences in what he described as his “last chance”. Pictured on Friday
“She is extremely remorseful.”
He asked the court to take into account that Finlayson committed the offences during “a time of great difficulty in his life”.
“She was struggling with a major drug addiction, she was self-medicating and she was certainly not clear-headed,” Eurell said.
The 33-year-old was a contestant on the reality show Beauty and the Geek in 2011 before falling into drugs.
The former model cited “toxic relationships” with people who “normalized drug use” and illegal activities as a “significant factor in her downfall.”
His lawyer explained that he has since cut all ties with “troubled” people and has “taken all possible steps to address his drug use and numerous mental health issues.”
“She describes this in court as her last chance,” he said.
The former Penthouse presenter was also sentenced for driving with illegal drugs in her system twice and for being in possession of ice.
The former NRL entertainer was released on bail under strict conditions requiring her to report to police three times a week. Pictured in 2011
Deputy Chief Magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis said Finlayson had 11 drug-related convictions on his record and had accumulated 38 demerit points in just three years.
The court heard the former Beauty and the Geek contestant was jailed in 2020 for drug supply and had continued to offend since then.
“Drugs have invaded his life over the last five or six years in a very, very significant way,” Tsavdaridis said.
The magistrate said he was “quite cautious” about Finlayson’s “future prospects” because she had not completed many hours of mandatory community service and had been described by correctional services as “unreliable”.
However, she stressed that she had been actively involved in seeking treatment and had “not sat idly by” while awaiting sentencing.
However, police discovered that he had falsified four medical certificates to avoid going to the police station as required.
Finlayson’s lawyer, Matthew Eurell, said his client accepted that falsifying the certificates to avoid complying with a court order amounted to “very serious offences”.
In one of the reports filed with the court, the former professional dancer is described as “a person dedicated to her quest to change her life.”
Finlayson pleaded guilty to four counts of using false documents to influence the execution of a public duty, two counts of driving with drugs in his system and two counts of drug possession.
She was sentenced to 10 months ICO and ordered to complete 75 hours of community service for falsifying medical certificates.
She was also convicted of drug offences, fined $750 and disqualified from driving for six months.
The former reality TV personality wiped away tears throughout the proceedings and appeared relieved as she left the courtroom.
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