Friend stole from elderly Napier woman Nancy Tuck

Nancy Tuck, in her 90s, Napier, had $1800 stolen from a friend she met at bingo who had been cashing cheques for her. The friend is being sentenced at Napier Court. 21 December 2017 Hawke's Bay Today

An elderly woman is unsure she can ever trust again after a friend she met at bingo stole $1800 from her.

Nancy Tuck thought of 58-year-old Ngaire Jennifer Ries as a daughter after the pair met at bingo and quickly became close friends.

Ries, also known as Rowell, would cash cheques for the 91-year-old and was the closest thing she had to family in Hawke's Bay.

However in November last year Ries cashed a cheque for Ms Tuck and then proceeded to withdraw $1800 from her bank account.

"She was going to bank my cheque for me and I asked her to get a statement for me at the same time. She said yes and I gave her my card and the pin number, which I know I shouldn't have, but you can't go through life without trusting somebody," Ms Tuck said.

It wasn't until the following month that she discovered the money was missing and almost one year on Ries was finally ordered to repay it.

The 58-year-old appeared in the Napier District Court before Judge Tony Adeane for sentencing yesterday, facing one charge of theft.

The court was told she had initially pleaded guilty to theft but then changed her plea before she was found guilty by judge-alone trial.

Judge Adeane said she had declined to participate in a restorative justice interview, told probation she wasn't guilty, and refused to consent to an electronically-monitored sentence.

Ries had also proposed to repay Ms Tuck in $2 weekly installments - despite the fact she was gambling $60 a week beyond her means.

This was "not acceptable", the Judge said.

He gave her two options, the first to be stood down in custody to complete an automatic payment authority to repay $50 a week and the second to be remanded in custody until the New Year for further reports to be completed.

After a brief period in custody she was recalled where she informed the court through her lawyer, Scott Jefferson, that she was amenable to sign the payment paperwork.

Judge Adeane said if she further offended or reparation payments were not duly paid she would be liable for imprisonment.

Theft carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment and, while this was not intended as a sentence indication, it reflected the "seriousness" of the defendant's obligations in the coming year, the Judge said.

Speaking after the sentencing Ms Tuck said she was grateful the truth had finally come out.

"I was over the moon. It was the best Christmas present I could have gotten. I really am pleased because everyone was telling me I'd be lucky if I got $5 a week."

She wasn't sure how she would thank a small contingent of friends who had sat through the court proceedings for her, she said.

"What I feel most grateful for is everybody will now know that she's the liar and not me."

Ries had made withdrawals of $800, $500 and a further $500 at the Westpac ATM in the Maraenui Shopping Centre the same day she was asked to bank Ms Tuck's cheque.

When spoken to by police she admitted using the card to print out the requested bank statement but denied taking money out of Ms Tuck's account and could offer no explanation as to how the first withdrawal was made at the same time the statement was printed.

"It just means now I can't trust anybody. It's been hard. She just wormed her way in and I didn't realise. I trusted her," Ms Tuck said.