Community work for thefts by speedway official
Westport’s Sunset Speedway has been repaid all the $6638 that its voluntary treasurer stole over four months last year.
Police confirmed the repayment had been received ahead of Tania Dawn Lind’s sentencing in the Christchurch District Court at Christchurch.
The 33-year-old had pleaded guilty to four charges of theft by a person in a special relationship.
Defence counsel Andrew Riches had originally sought a hearing to argue for Lind to be discharged without conviction because of the likely effects on her career in early childhood teaching.
However, at the hearing today he said that application was no longer being made.
He asked Judge Alistair Garland to consider a conviction and discharge, meaning there would be no penalty, but the judge ruled that out.
“This is serious offending,” he said. “Simply paying the money back now that she has been caught certainly mitigates the offending, because reparation is an import factor.”
Police prosecutor Edana Sparks said that on four occasions, Lind had taken money out of the Sunset Speedway’s account to be used for floats at the shop and the two gates, but after the meetings she had not banked the money or the gate takings.
Mr Riches said she had been under pressure at the time. Her family was struggling and she had been paid limited wages while helping in a family business. “In desperation, she took the money from the speedway.”
She had lost a job at a supermarket since she had been charged. She had moved to Christchurch with her fiance and had been able to get other work which had enabled her to save enough money to repay the speedway.
The move had been very positive for her and she had worked hard.
Judge Garland said the offending involved premeditation and was a serious breach of trust. But he reduced her sentence after noting that Lind had no previous convictions, had repaid all the money, and had pleaded guilty straight away.
He convicted her and ordered her to do 150 hours of community work.
Category: News
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