Former driver guilty of negligent driving occasioning GBH

Craig Graham, a former bus driver for Capebase who continued to be employed on a run driving special needs children from Blayney to Carenne Special School has pleaded guilty and been convicted of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm in Bathurst Local Court.

Mid last year, Craig Graham was turning from William into Howick Street in Bathurst when he struck an older woman, writing the bus off and seriously damaging the woman. The woman has had to have quite serious surgery on her hips following the injury. Following this incident, Graham was charged with negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, one of the most serious of all driving offences. Despite this and his continual attempts to defraud the department, he continued to drive for Capebase until he was replaced by Steve Minshull in March.

"Blayney Lady", who has a student on the bus said that a number of parents in Blayney had contacted Neil Moon after hearing of Graham being charged and demanded that he be sacked or that their children be allocated to another run. Neil Moon refused at the time, saying that he wasn't confident that Graham had done anything wrong and that students were not at risk due to his driving. When Graham was sacked, Moon contacted parents and talked Minshull up, claiming he was "far better" than Craig Graham and had a "wealth of experience" in special needs transport.

When the matter was before the court on Friday, 17 June, Graham's solicitor James Horsbrough of Bird Legal told Magistrate Jan Stevenson that his client was pleading guilty but wished to explain that the accident happened because the corner was blind and he was unable to see the woman crossing the road. The court then took a short recess so the magistrate could examine the corner with the prosecutor and Graham's solicitor.

After the recess, the magistrate sentenced Graham, placing him on a 9 month good behaviour bond and disqualifying him from driving for 12 months.

Grahams caught ripping off the SNTS again

Despite being featured on this blog in March and June for being caught out defrauding the Special Needs Transport Service, Craig and Michelle Graham continue to defraud the Department of Education and Training, claiming that they are returning to Blayney each day when they spend many of them in Bathurst.

Carenne Gate understands that on each day that the Grahams do not return to Blayney, they defraud $160 for their employer Capebase and around $40 for Michelle Graham herself.

Carenne Gate can report that it has received information from a teacher at Carenne that she overheard the Grahams tell Janelle Kemp that they were not returning to Blayney today and asked who would be out in the school buses. The teacher, known as Zebra, claims to have seen the Grahams in Bathurst at 12:10PM, when they should have been in Blayney.

The Grahams have shown that they are willing to defraud the state government for their boss' and their own personal gain.

Capebase continues to defraud the SNTS

Following Craig and Michelle Graham being named and shamed on this blog for defrauding the SNTS in March it has been discovered by a Carenne Gate investigator that they continue to defraud the Department of Education and Training, reaping benefits for themselves and their employer, Capebase.

Following the March incident, hatho came forward and said that she knew that Mr Graham had claimed the full kilometres back to Blayney and that Mrs Graham had declared the full hours back to Blayney for work as a bus escort. Hatho alleged that Mr and Mrs Graham often over-declared from the department on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that she had been told by Mrs Graham that she had to see Centrelink every second Tuesday.

In April, Michelle Graham denied the allegations on this blog in this posting. She claimed -

"you have ALL your facts wrong.we do go home everyday and yeh you saw us at aldi and macas .so what ? ITS NONE OF your BUISNESS WHAT WE DO WHEN WE HAVE FINISHED THE RUN.my husband does not get paid by the kilometre ,yes the bus company does.but the bus company only claims what is used each day which is totally correct and none of your buisness once again.as for me i have never claimed any hours not owed to me and if we go after the bus run to do something like have a coffee or get some groceries before we head back to blayney ,that does not mean we are defrauding the department."

Our investigator can reveal that Mr and Mrs Graham parked their bus in the Bathurst RSL club carpark for most of yesterday. Mr and Mrs Graham were seen walking in William Street by Carenne staff at 11:00AM Photographs provided show that the vehicle was there at 1:50PM and not in Blayney as would have been expected if it returned there as Mrs Graham claims.

It is estimated that on each day that the Grahams do not return to Blayney but claim they do, the state government is being defrauded by $160 for the bus contractor and around $40 for the escort.

Capebase caught out ripping off the SNTS

Independent investigations undertaken by Carenne Gate bloggers have revealed that despite being named and shamed on this blog in December that Capebase continues to defraud the NSW Department of Education and Training under its contract under the Special Needs Transport Service. Under the SNTS, operators are paid per kilometre traveled with bus escorts paid by the hour.

It was reported to investigators that Capebase's Blayney bus driven by Craig Graham doesn't return to Blayney on most days despite the driver and escort claiming they do. These claim forms are approved and verified by Carenne School staff. The Carenne Saviours claim that throughout 2009 Simone Russell signed claim forms she knew were incorrect for both the Blayney and Lithgow Capebase runs.

Scams under the SNTS were first exposed after documents were released proving that Carenne Support were defrauding the department.

On 11 March 2010 the bus that Craig Graham drives was seen at McDonalds Bathurst at 10:58AM.

Today at 31 March 2010 at 11:18AM the Blayney run's escort was seen shopping at Aldi while the bus was parked outside.