Fraudster admits forging her own reference
File image. © Andrew Bardwell
A woman who did sex work while on home detention has now admitted forging her own reference letter that was put before a Christchurch District Court sentencing.
Andrea Virginia Rochelle De La Hunt admitted the charge before Judge Brian Callaghan at court today and was remanded for Crown sentencing on January 22.
There was no application for her release on bail because she is already serving a two-year six-month sentence imposed in September for lying to her probation officer and breaching her home detention sentence.
Her deceit allowed the 41-year-old her to do sex work at a brothel in Christchurch, even while she was wearing the home detention ankle bracelet.
De La Hunt had sent a series of false emails to probation, apparently from the woman who she said was employing her. Checks showed they were actually sent from De La Hunt’s own email address.
When she was sentenced in September, she was continuing to deny the forgery charge but she changed her plea at a case management hearing today when she admitted making a false document.
Prosecutor Sergeant Mark Berryman said De La Hunt, who was also known as Phipps, had been employed as a call-taker by a Christchurch firm.
When she was due for a previous sentencing date, in April, she wrote a letter in the name of the general manager of her employing company.
The letter outlined that the company was aware of her criminal past and mental health issues and was concerned that they would not be able to continue to employ her if her case received media coverage.
“The defendant gave this letter to her lawyer, who submitted it to the judge in support of her sentencing, and it was also disclosed to the Crown Law Office,” said Sergeant Berryman.
When police made inquiries with the writer of the letter, he was adamant that he did not write it. Nor was he aware of the woman’s other name nor her criminal past.
De La Hunt denied the letter was false and said the manager was lying and upset because she did not help him out with a potential contract.
De La Hunt has a long history of fraud convictions, and has also been jailed for attempted murder and arson. She has been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder.
Category: Focus
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