Cheerleading team theft brings restorative justice

A woman who stole from her daughters' cheerleading squad to fuel a gambling habit was told today any restorative justice process should happen in Whangarei, where the offending took place.

Carlynn Saunders-Clarke, who now lives in Auckland, pleaded guilty in June to three charges of causing loss by deception.

She was due to be sentenced in Waitakere District Court today, but was remanded on bail to reappear on Friday.

The reason for the adjournment was to allow inquiries to be made as to whether it would be feasible to hold a restorative justice meeting in Whangarei.

In 2007, Saunders-Clarke had two daughters in a Whangarei cheer squad, which was fundraising for a trip to Australia.

The amount she took from the Fantasy Cheerleading Team's fund was reported to be nearly $9000.

Defence lawyer Victoria Letele said a restorative justice meeting planned for an Auckland marae had not yet been able to proceed.

But Judge Lindsay Moore said the complainants were in Whangarei.

"These are Whangarei events," he said.

"We are not going to tell the complainants to come down here at their own expense. She has to go up there."

Judge Moore also remarked that restorative justice had considerable merit where lesser offences were involved, but described the case before him as serious offending.

A few years ago, someone in Saunders-Clarke's position would have been jailed for 12 months, "without any hesitation".

He said there were a lot of angry complainants who had put their trust in Saunders-Clarke.

The cheerleaders did end up making the trip to the Gold Coast, after parents chipped in with more money.

- NZPA