Read the astonishing trail of lies that helped a Brit land high-paying government jobs after moving to Australia – including one that paid over $450,000
- Former integrity officer pleads guilty to perjury and multiple deception charges
- The man fabricated several previous qualifications and positions on his CV
- He used his CV to gain access to three high-paying Victorian government posts
A former British cop weaved a web of lies and deceit to secure several high-paying roles in government organizations in Victoria, a court has heard.
Former Sussex police officer Peter Ravenscroft, 56, pleaded guilty to perjury and multiple charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception in County Court on Tuesday.
The father-of-four lied about his background and upbringing in ‘incredibly transparent fabrications’ to score roles with Victoria’s Treasury and Finance Department and Victoria’s Ombudsman.
He also worked for the Frankston Council where he earned over $456,000.
Peter Ravenscroft (pictured right) will be sentenced on June 8 after pleading guilty to obtaining several financial benefits through charges of deception
Ravenscroft previously worked for Sussex Police and at the Victorian Office of Police Integrity until 2012.
Ravenscroft, known ‘professionally’ as ‘Peter Murphy’, took on the role of Senior Investigations Officer at Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance in 2012, the court heard, The Herald Sun reported.
The ex-cop claimed to have been a Detective Inspector for the UK’s National Crime Squad and said he studied at ‘Guildford University’, a school which the court heard was not not real.
Peter Ravenscroft appeared in County Court (pictured) after fabricating several previous qualifications and positions on his CV
From his role at the department, Ravenscroft earned $67,631 before taking on another role as Frankston Council’s compliance and security officer in 2013.
In addition to his fraudulent qualifications he cited earlier, Ravenscroft added a scholarship from the University of Leeds, degrees from Master Builders Victoria and the Australian Institute of Management.
Between January 2013 and November 2015, he raised some $456,038 from the council before changing careers to become Deputy Director of Strategic Investigations at the Victoria Ombudsman.
Despite the numerous fraudulent inclusions in his resume, Ravenscroft apparently forgot to inform the ombudsman that he had been investigated in his previous position.
Former Frankston Council chief executive Dennis Hovenden told investigators that Ravenscroft was removed from the council while a full investigation into his conduct was underway.
Mr Hovenden also said the inclusions made by Ravenscroft in his resume for the ombudsman job gave “the impression that he held a higher position than he actually was” on the council.
Ravenscroft had also included arbitrator “Dr. John Marshall” who had been contacted during Ravenscroft’s application process and stated that he was Ravenscroft’s direct supervisor on the board.
Investigators into the case, however, established that no one named Dr. John Marshall had ever been employed by the council.
Ravenscroft went on to earn $196,857 from the ombudsman between January 2016 and February 2017, he was later arrested in December 2020.
A former Ravenscroft colleague, Sussex police officer Anthony Pike, said the demands his former colleague had made to the Treasury, Frankston Council and the Ombudsman included “incredibly transparent fabrications”.
Ravenscroft, who works as an HR consultant, will be sentenced on June 8.
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