Tania Ann Dhillon, 55, was sentenced by the ACT Magistrates Court after pretending to be a psychologist. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to sexual abuse.
A woman repeatedly claimed to be a psychologist during a case in the ACT Supreme Court, despite not holding such qualifications.
Tania Ann Dhillon, a 55-year-old who used to live in Canberra but has more recently resided in Adelaide, was convicted and fined $2000 by the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday (1 July) for her lies.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston said she was a social worker and counsellor who was “not a registered psychologist in any form”.
He said that in April 2023, she prepared a report for the Supreme Court in which she described herself as a psychologist.
She then gave evidence for the matter in the courtroom where she again claimed to be a psychologist in front of the judge and lawyers.
During her evidence, she provided an assessment of the accused’s psychological condition.
The court heard that it was ACT Policing that discovered Dhillon wasn’t registered as a psychologist and reported the matter to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
This is the organisation that ensures registered health practitioners are suitably trained, qualified and safe to practise.
Magistrate Theakston did not name the case in which Dhillon had lied about being a psychologist, but Region confirmed she had given a psychological report for a man called Stephen Sarmiento in April 2023.
Sarmiento admitted to trying to commit a sexual assault and avoided being jailed when he was sentenced.
The Supreme Court heard that his mother had arranged for him to start seeing Dhillon.
Magistrate Theakston said there was no suggestion that Dhillon’s lies had impacted on a patient’s care. But he said her offence was “brazen and almost audacious” in the way it was committed.
“It was done very publicly,” he said.
He said the message here was that if you hold yourself out to be a practitioner when you are not one, there will be a consequence.
Dhillon’s lawyer, Paul Edmonds, said the court process had been extremely stressful for his client.
She had a mortgage to pay and her finances were somewhat limited, he said.
The magistrate accepted a conviction would impact on Dhillon’s future business arrangements.
He also said the $2000 fine was appropriate given the additional legal costs she incurred.
Dhillon pleaded guilty to a charge of claiming to be registered as a health practitioner.
She didn’t leave the ACT courthouse after she spotted media waiting outside to take her photograph. She still hadn’t walked out the front entrance by the time the building closed at 5 pm on Wednesday afternoon.
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple zero.
If you have been affected by sexual violence, or someone you know has, you can report it to police by attending a police station or phoning 131 444.