Hastings lawyer David John Porteous yesterday admitted charges of stealing almost $80,000 from clients during the latter years of a three-decade legal career in Hawke's Bay.
Appearing before Judge Bridget Mackintosh in the Hastings District Court, 66-year-old Porteous pleaded guilty to two representative charges of theft by a person in a special relationship and was remanded on bail for sentence in Napier District Court on April 7.
The charges carry penalties of up to seven years' jail, and the judge ordered a pre-sentence report and supported a call by defence counsel Matthew Phelps for exploration for options for restorative justice, which would normally involve the offender meeting with those from whom he had stolen.
But one victim, Hastings man Neville Lush, having been in court for the satisfaction of seeing his former adviser's admission, even if was through counsel Mr Phelps, doubts the practical possibilities of restorative justice, saying he and wife Morag had recovered about $61,000, but still expect to be out of pocket by an unknown sum around $40,000.
"We just don't know how much," he said, "but we'll never get it back."