A former WA Health bureaucrat has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for corruption.
District Court Judge Fiona Vernon said David Leslie Mulligan's behaviour "strikes at the heart of the community's trust in public service and the government".
Addressing the 49-year-old as he wept in the dock, she said he must have been well aware what he was doing was "corrupt and wrong".
Mulligan had pleaded guilty to nine charges of acting corruptly to gain a benefit, and one of corruptly omitting to make a record.
Between 2013 and 2015, Mulligan accepted flights, accommodation and other perks from a contractor for trips interstate and overseas.
He was working for North Metro Health Service (NMHS) at the time.
The contractor presented inflated invoices to the NMHS and Mulligan approved them.
The total benefit was $16,775 and included flights to the eastern states, and one trip to The UK.
Work component on trips 'limited'
For most of the trips, he used his annual leave and sometimes lied about why he was taking it.
His lawyer argued that five of the trips featured a "work-related component" such as touring hospitals.
But Judge Vernon said that while this might have made him feel better about what he was doing, the work component was "limited".
The District Court heard Mulligan had paid back most of the $16,775, with one instalment as recent as last week. He has also committed to paying back the rest despite being in "reduced" circumstances.
Judge Vernon referred to the total benefit as "not particularly large" but said the offending was "persistent" and took place on nine occasions over two years.
She said Mulligan claimed he was not influenced in terms of handing work to the contractor, but nonetheless the perception undermined confidence in the expenditure of public money.
More regret than remorse: Judge
During the sentencing remarks, Mulligan looked down at the floor and frowned, with his hand against his cheeks, and fingers occasionally wiping away tears.
"You do look remorseful as you sit there," the judge said, but she said she suspected he felt more regret than remorse.
Mulligan had said he was going through a "difficult divorce" at the time.
To this, Judge Vernon said: "Many people go through divorces. They do not use that as an excuse to obtain a corrupt benefit."
She described it as "very serious offending" and handed down a total sentence of 15 months in prison.
Mulligan must serve at least seven and a half months before he is released.
