Ex-reality TV star’s win after fooling cops

Former reality TV star Jordan Finlayson has admitted to falsifying medical certificates to avoid reporting to police. Picture: Instagram
Former reality TV star Jordan Finlayson has admitted to falsifying medical certificates to avoid reporting to police. Picture: Instagram

A disgraced former reality TV star will only be required to report to police once a week after she admitted to faking documents to avoid interacting with police while on bail for drug charges.

Jordan Finlayson faced Sydney Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to four counts of using a false document to influence the exercise of public duty.

She wore black leather pants, a long black blazer, and large black sunglasses befitting her former quasi-celebrity status as she entered the courthouse.

The 32-year-old was a contestant on reality TV show Beauty and the Geek in 2011 before her meth-fuelled fall from grace, which culminated in her arrest for driving while on drugs last year.

COURT - FINLAYSON
Jordan Finlayson is awaiting sentencing for falsifying medical certificates. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

She was released on bail under strict conditions which required her to report to police three times a week.

However, the former NRL cheerleader produced fake medical certificates from multiple doctors in order to avoid attending the police station.

She is due to be sentenced for using the falsified documents next month.

In the meantime, the ex-Penthouse model asked the court to vary her bail conditions to allow her to report to police only once a week.

Her lawyer Mark Klees told the court Finlayson found it “extremely stressful to go to the police station.”

He noted she suffers from anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder which made it “onerous” to report to police three times a week.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis agreed it wasn’t necessary for her to attend the police station so often, and decided to reduce her bail requirement to once a week.

She appeared on Beauty and the Geek in 2011. Picture: Instagram
She appeared on Beauty and the Geek in 2011. Picture: Instagram
She was also a model. Picture: Instagram
She was also a model. Picture: Instagram

Last week, the court heard Finlayson would be applying to have her charges dismissed on mental health grounds in May.

Yet on Wednesday Mr Klees said the matter would instead proceed to sentencing.

He said the ex-model was in the process of obtaining a mental health treatment report to be taken into consideration when she returns to court for judgment next month.

The court heard the convicted drug driver has launched an appeal against the drug charges that led to her current court woes.

Finlayson was sentenced in November last year to an 18-month community corrections order for driving under the influence of drugs, driving with drugs in her system, and possessing drugs.

She was also disqualified from driving for two years, ordered to complete 150 hours of community service, and handed a $500 fine.

Her appeal is due to be heard later this year.

While on bail for those drug offences, the agreed facts show the former reality TV contestant presented police with certificates stating she was unfit to attend the police station on several days.

COURT - FINLAYSON
Finlayson will return to court in May. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift
The court heard she is restricted by a community bond for drug driving. Picture: Instagram
The court heard she is restricted by a community bond for drug driving. Picture: Instagram

The documents were accepted as legitimate until police raided Finlayson’s hotel room months later and found multiple certificates on phones.

Police were subsequently granted digital access to her phone to determine the authenticity of the certificates.

However, the former professional dancer provided erroneous access codes after claiming she couldn’t remember the PIN.

After she finally provided the right code, detectives found multiple certificates on the phone in different fonts.

Doctors and staff who were named on the documents confirmed they had only provided certificates for some of Finlayson’s absences.

She will now only report to police once a week as she awaits sentencing over the fraudulent documents.