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PHOTO JAIME PITT-MCKAY 031218-JPM-050
$134k stolen from boss An Ashburton woman who stole $134,000 from her employer’s bank account was sentenced to 10 months home detention when she appeared in the Ashburton District Court yesterday. Karen Ann Jones, 51, was also ordered to pay back $120,000 in reparation, a figure agreed to by police and her lawyer. Jones had pleaded guilty to a charge of theft as a person in a special relationship, employed by a friend to do the family farm books. Between May, 2015 and Septem-
ber 22, 2017, she made 164 transactions, moving $134,241 from the complainant’s bank account into her own personal bank account. Jones coded these as wages, business expenses transfers and other miscellaneous reimbursements to disguise what she had done. Judge Joanna Maze said Jones appeared to have been a person of good character, until she abandoned her principles. She had a history of helping and been a contributing member of society, the judge said. But un-
der pressure and suffering from ill health, she had offended. Jones had had time to step back from her actions, but did not. “I accept the money has been taken at huge expense to the victim, going above and beyond merely the loss of dollars and cents. The victim impact statement records a vast loss and, at the moment, the victim cannot see any immediate prospect of recovery.” The judge said Jones had been talking about realising assets for some time though that had not happened.
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“Restorative justice was not possible so the victim has not even had an opportunity to put her position.” Jones’ lawyer Marilyn Gilchrist said Jones was selling a vehicle and planned to use money saved for her retirement to repay her friend. She asked Judge Maze to grant name suppression, but the judge declined saying that while she was not offering a professional accounting service, it was a matter of public interest. A probation officer’s report
contained a recommendation for home detention, but the writer said Jones’ attitude was of concern, saying she blamed others and did not take responsibility for her decision-making. Judge Maze said she also had reservations about the extent that Jones had acknowledged her wrongdoing. Police said the offending was aggravated by the fact Jones and the complainant were friends and the level of premeditation, with Jones disguising what she was doing. More court news, P4
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