By now, you probably know the Belle Gibson story. But like us, you’re probably thinking – why isn’t she in jail?
In 2016, Consumer Affairs Victoria brought an application against Belle and her associated businesses for multiple breaches of Australian Consumer law.
Step inside the courtroom for Belle Gibson on Crime Insiders:
The case centred on two major alleged deceptions: that Belle lied about having cancer to promote her business, and that she lied about donating to multiple entities.
Belle did not defend the claims, and did not appear in court.
So, why isn’t Belle Gibson in jail?
Gibson has not been convicted of a crime. She was found to have breached consumer laws but that’s not as serious as criminal fraud charges, which could lead to jail time.
By 2021, Belle owed authorities over $500,000 in outstanding fines and interest. To this day – she has failed to pay any of the money she owes.
Since the proceedings against Belle, several laws have been introduced to prevent this kind of deception from happening again.
In 2016, Victoria introduced legislation to take action against people making false cancer cure claims.
In 2022, a new Australian law passed to prevent influencers from offering their personal experience or opinions if they have been paid or gifted a product or service.
Let me take you inside the courtroom for Belle’s legal proceedings on my podcast, Crime Insiders: Judgements.
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