Freya Newman, a former part-time librarian at the Whitehouse School of Design, was handed a two-year good behaviour bond with no conviction against her on Tuesday for accessing unauthorised data.
The 21-year-old accessed information about the director’s scholarship awarded to Frances Abbott in 2011 by using another staff member’s passwords without permission.
In May The Guardian Australia revealed that, Frances Abbott, 23, had attended Sydney’s Whitehouse School of Design on a “chairman’s scholarship”, worth a reported $60K, at the recommendation of the college’s chairman, Les Taylor, a major Liberal party donor.
The Whitehouse website states the private institution “does not currently offer scholarships to gain a place” into Abbott’s bachelor of design degree but since the scandal the college has said it offers a variety of grants and all “are discretionary and awarded on merit”.
Ms Abbott was reportedly only the second student in the school’s history to receive the prize – a scholarship not advertised to other students.
Frances Abbott attends Derby Day on November 1.
At the Downing Centre Local Court court on Tuesday Magistrate Teresa O’Sullivan said Newman was not driven by desires of greed or intent to embarrass Ms Abbott.
“I accept she was motivated by a sense of injustice,” said Magistrate O’Sullivan.
