Patricia Anne Dixon, left, a former bookkeeper for two Roman Catholic parishes on the Eastern Shore, speaks with lawyer Aimee Walters on May 5 before her appearance in Dartmouth provincial court on fraud-related charges. Photo by Steve BruceArticle contentThe woman who defrauded two Roman Catholic parishes of more than $225,000 will have to wait for her sentence hearing after the judge asked counsel for further submissions on their joint recommendation.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentJudge Amy Sakalauskas said Monday that she wasn’t prepared to sentence Patricia Anne Dixon, 52, of East Chezzetcook, who pleaded guilty in May to one count of fraud over $5,000 shortly before she was to stand trial on 10 fraud-related charges.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThe fraud was committed between 2010 and 2020, while Dixon was employed as a bookkeeper for the former Saint Anselm’s Parish in West Chezzetcook and then Saint John of the Cross Parish, which includes three churches between East Chezzetcook and Sheet Harbour.Article contentJoint recommendationArticle contentOn Sept. 25, Crown attorney Brian Cox and defence attorney Aimee Walters had asked the judge to impose a conditional sentence of two years less a day, followed by a year of probation. The proposed sentence also included a restitution order for $225,258.Article contentSakalauskas told counsel Monday in Dartmouth provincial court that she wanted further submissions on the joint recommendation and had questions about Section 380.2 of the Criminal Code. The judge also wanted to know the legal entity to which the restitution would be paid since Saint Anselm’s Parish closed in 2018.Article contentArticle contentThe judge said the cases presented to her by counsel didn’t help deal with the range of the sentence. She was further frustrated by having to go “hunting for cases.”Article content“I recall getting maybe six cases and only one of them where a (conditional sentence order) was granted for a larger fraud and it was by way of a joint recommendation, which courts across the country are really clear have minimal value by way of precedent,” said Sakalauskas.Article content“I found myself (Sunday) afternoon doing counsel’s job in looking further into cases when I really feel like it should be the job of counsel to put that information before the court. Because of the cases you gave me, I did not find them to be overly helpful on the situation before me on that issue of the range,” she said.Article content“Certainly, there was an acknowledgement at the time of the original sentencing hearing that what counsel was recommending was on the lower end of what would be the range in this province,” she added.
Judge seeks better information from counsel in sentencing of bookkeeper who defrauded parishes
