A woman in Australia confessed to attempting to falsely accuse a pilot who died in a terrible helicopter collision of a driving violation.

Stephanie Louise Bennett was caught using her mobile phone while driving and later attempted to falsely accuse Ashley Jenkinson, a pilot who was killed in a helicopter collision near Brisbane, of the offense by using details from his obituary.

Ashley Jenkinson, who was born in the UK, was among the four individuals who died in the incident.

Ms. Bennett pleaded guilty to identity theft and fraud and will be sentenced in May. Authorities state that Ms. Bennett was issued a fine notice of A$1,078 (£575) in early January for the offense of using her phone while driving.

After being caught using her phone while driving in December, Ms. Bennett disputed the fine online and nominated Mr. Jenkinson, whom she had never met, as the driver at the time of the offense. Mr. Jenkinson's partner informed the authorities of the situation after receiving the fine notice several weeks after his death. Ms. Bennett attempted to enter a guilty plea via email but was rejected by the magistrate, and on Wednesday, she arrived at court wearing a scarf to avoid heckling.

In the email that was read aloud in court, Ms. Bennett apologized for the trouble she caused and expressed deep regret for her actions.