Louise Kuresa with Moses Mackay in The Bachelor NZ. Photo / TVNZ
Louise Kuresa with Moses Mackay in The Bachelor NZ. Photo / TVNZ
A contestant of The Bachelor New Zealand has been sentenced after she admitted stealing more than $12,000 from her employer and a social organisation.
Louise Akata Kuresa, 31, appeared today at Invercargill District Court after pleading guilty to five counts of theft by a person in a special relationship and two charges of altering a document with intent to defraud.
Judge John Brandts-Giesen sentenced her to six months of community detention, 12 months of intense supervision and 200 hours of community work.
He also ordered her to repay the total amount of $12,611.59 to the victims.
Kuresa was a contestant on the latest edition of The Bachelor New Zealand, which was aired this year and featured Moses Mackay from Sol3 Mio looking for love.
Up until now the Otago Daily Times was unable to report her name, where the offending took place, the reality show the woman took part in, or where she appeared in court.
Louise Kuresa at Invercargill District Court. Photo / ODT
Judge Brandts-Giesen discontinued her suppression as he believed the extreme hardship criteria was not met and "justice needed to be done".
He said she put herself in that position and she chose to be part of a reality show at the same time she was committing the offending.
Although he sympathised and asked media to not sensationalise the matter, he believed she had to be held accountable of the offending.
"This is the price you pay."
Among her explanations to the police for the crime was that she was not good at maths.
Her employer, Bill Richardson Transport World director Jocelyn O'Donnell, read a victim impact statement to court and said Kuresa's actions showed she did not have remorse.
She and her team were devastated to learn of the fraud and said they had always supported her and trusted her.
Her spending was proof of her self-indulgence as it was related to photo shoots and personal travel.
O'Donnell might have understood if Kuresa's family was in need, but that was not the case, O'Donnell said.
Kuresa manipulated the truth and lied to many in the community about why her employment was terminated, she said.
Despite the difficulty of giving a statement in court, O'Donnell believed it was necessary to warn others as Kuresa was involved in many community groups.
Kuresa "chose to be part of a reality show at the same time she was committing the offending", Judge John Brandts-Giesen said. Photo / TVNZ
The summary of facts states that when she worked at Invercargill's Transport World, Kuresa had a Mastercard that was in her manager's name.
Among her duties, she was responsible for reconciling the card and providing supporting documentation to the company's finance department.
At the same time, she was also treasurer of Invercargill Young Professionals, a society that provides networking opportunities and social events for young people.
Between December 2019 and December 2020, Kuresa used Transport World's card to pay for tickets to events, a flight, personal items, a personal photo shoot and to pay bills in the name of the organisation of which she was treasurer.
Louise Kuresa with Moses Mackay in The Bachelor NZ. Photo / TVNZ
When she was caught, Kuresa admitted the offence, saying she had not received adequate training in her job, she had made a mistake by succumbing to social pressures to pay for events and she intended to pay the money back.
"When challenged about this the defendant admitted that she wanted to appear as the 'hero' to her friends and enjoyed the social pleasures of being able to go to social functions and shout her associates," the summary says.
She knew the credit card was an unlimited fund of money and continued to use it when she was not caught after the first time.
"The defendant finally admitted that she had no intention of paying the money back at the time of offending, however, now would like the opportunity to do so."
The other four charges she has pleaded to were in relation to her job as secretary of IYP, where she was responsible for paying invoices.
On July 26, 2019, Kuresa transferred $3000 from the IYP professionals back account into her personal bank account.
Five months later, she transferred $500 and coded it Southland Racing Club - extra alcohol.
In March 2020, she paid an invoice of $190 in relation to an event at Kelvin Hotel but transferred $240 to her personal account from the IYP funding.
On October 2020, she transferred $900 from the group's account to a friend - the person was unaware the money had not come from the defendant directly.
Kuresa told police she was not good with maths. She said she was not an accountant and didn't know how to bookkeep.
Defence counsel Olivia Taylor told the court her client had genuine remorse for her actions and the pain she had caused.
She asked the judge to consider a community-based sentence as any other outcome could affect Kuresa's current employment and she needed to keep her job to pay reparation to the victims.
She offered to pay the reparation to both victims, Transport World and IYP.
