$5000 misplaced during money count

Whakatāne woman Kelly Ann Coffey has been sentenced to community work and ordered to pay a considerable amount in reparations to replace the banking she mishandled from her workplace.

Coffey, 39, appeared in Whakatāne District Court on Wednesday for sentencing on a charge of theft by a person in a special relationship.

Defence lawyer Lisa Ebbers said Coffey was unwell at the time of her offending and should not have been working while she was dealing with significant personal issues.

As part of her job as a store manager, the defendant was tasked with handling money, including taking money to the bank on the day of her offending.

The judge heard that Coffey stopped by a child’s sporting game on her way to the bank and was counting the money on her lap in the car.

The defendant believed the missing $5881.10 fell down the side of the seat in the car she shared with a flatmate.

Coffey's assumption was that the flatmate must have found the money and taken it, and said she received no personal gain from it.

Ms Ebbers said the defendant’s story had remained consistent throughout the court process.

She said Coffey immediately began paying the money back and has repaid $1730 but is currently unemployed.

Judge Louis Bidois said the defendant should have known better as a store manager than to count three days' worth of banking in a car, parked in public.

He ordered Coffey to pay the remaining $4150 in reparations and sentenced her to 200 hours’ community work.

The judge said because Coffey was a first offender she did not have issues to be addressed by a sentence of supervision, which Ms Ebbers disagreed with.

She argued that with a two-year-old child and daycare spots hard to come by in Whakatāne, Coffey would struggle to do a community work sentence, and she did have personal factors that would benefit from supervision.

Ms Ebbers did not go into detail about those factors in open court.

The community work sentence stood.

Man admits stealing from Jewelz, Stirling Sports and Liquor King

A Whakatāne man has appeared in court charged with the daylight burglary of Jewelz last month.

Lamuel Herbert, 31, pleaded guilty to a charge of committing burglary with a weapon, namely a hammer on February 27.

He also pleaded guilty to stealing $875 worth of clothing from Stirling Sports on February 25 and $247.97 worth of alcohol from Liquor King Whakatāne on February 17, in addition to unlawfully taking a Mazda Premacy in Auckland and breaching his release conditions.

He first appeared on the charges on Friday.

No bail application was made when he appeared on Wednesday.

Herbert was remanded in custody for sentencing in June.

Caught with friend’s meth pipe

Jerome Douglas Wallwork has received his first drug conviction for possessing a meth pipe that was not his.

Wallwork pleaded guilty this week to the charge.

Lawyer Leonard Hemi said the pipe was in the defendant’s possession, but it did not belong to him; he was holding it for someone else.

He said Wallwork was drug tested regularly for work and was clean of meth.

Wallwork was fined $450 plus court costs of $143.

Prison for Warehouse burglary

Whakatāne man Te Maunganui Everest Singh-Lagah has earned himself an eight-month prison sentence by stealing multiple items from The Warehouse Whakatāne and throwing a punch at the security guard who tried to stop him.

Singh-Lagah, 30, pleaded guilty this week to charges of shoplifting and aggravated assault with the intention to facilitate an imprisonable offence, after receiving a sentencing indication.

Court documents stated that he stole a speaker, body wash, a Nintendo case, controller and a smart watch on January 2.

Judge Bidois said the defendant attempted to avoid setting off the store alarm at the front entrance by lifting the items above his head.

A female security guard followed and asked him to return the stolen items.

He swung a punch at her, which did not connect, but which did cause her to fall down and injure herself.

Judge Bidois said if the punch had landed, it was powerful enough that it would have knocked the victim unconscious.

Singh-Lagah was sentenced to eight months’ prison and was ordered to pay $300, unless the stolen items had been recovered.

Bail application adjourned

Saul Bernard Wairama was remanded in custody to today after Judge Bidois decided he did not have enough information to decide on bail.

Wairama has been charged with committing a dangerous act with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, arson, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.

He has not entered a plea.

Arson denied

Morris Ronald Mitchell has pleaded not guilty to wilfully setting fire to property or endangering life by fire, and assault on a person in a family relationship.

He was remanded on bail to the end of May for a case review hearing.

Bail granted

Poroporo man Desmond Temoana McLean has been granted bail after being charged with three offences.

McLean faces charges of assault with intent to injure, threatening to kill and driving dangerously.

He has not entered pleas.

McLean was granted bail with a condition not to go to Paroa Road, except for work purposes.

He was remanded to next month for plea.

Further adjournment in Michael Hill case

One of the young men convicted of burgling Michael Hill Whakatāne last year has had his case adjourned further.

David Hampton is undergoing a nine-month residential course with the Grace Foundation, which he started in November.

Crown prosecutors raised no issue with another adjournment while he was in the programme.

A nominal date in June was set to check in and see how he is progressing.

Full day trial required

A full day trial has been pencilled in the court calendar for Te Manawa Jarvis Don-J Turei.

The defendant has been charged with five counts of assault on a person in a family relationship, assault on a child and strangulation.

Lawyer Rebecca Plunket said defence and police prosecution could not agree on much at a case review hearing and the trial would be required.

The trial was scheduled to take place on October 10, with police to confirm the availability of witnesses.

Readmitted to bail

A man facing Crown charges in Rotorua has been readmitted to bail.

Chance Bonjean Banfield faces charges of aggravated robbery and obtaining by deception. He was in police custody this week for an alleged breach of his bail, which he denied.

He was readmitted to bail, to reappear in Rotorua District Court next month and Wairoa District Court in July.

Digital communication charges admitted

Te Haa Sidwell pleaded guilty this week to two counts of causing harm by posting digital communications.

Police withdrew a third charge of threatening to kill.

A pre-sentence report was ordered, and a sentencing was scheduled for May 21.

Sentenced on amended charge

Rūātoki man Autahi Aries Carroll has been sentenced to 120 hours’ community work for assaulting his brother.

Carroll, 35, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of common assault this week. It was initially laid as assault on a person in a family relationship.

Lawyer Whare Hika said Carroll had no explanation for his offending except for frustration.

Judge Bidois said the defendant pulled large chunks of hair out of the victim’s head during the assault, which happened in front of children.

“What does that teach them? How responsible is that?” the judge questioned.

In addition to the 120 hours of community work, Carroll was ordered to pay $100 in emotional harm reparations.

Mixed pleas

Coastlands woman Waikohu Williams has been sentenced on five charges after pleading guilty this week.

Williams, 24, admitted possessing a cannabis bong, shoplifting and three counts of breaching bail.

She was sentenced to nine months’ supervision and ordered to forfeit the bong.

At the same hearing, Williams pleaded not guilty to burglary, two counts of trespass and an additional shoplifting charge.

On the denied matters, she was granted bail and remanded to reappear before the judge at the end of May.