Ex-officer jailed for dole cheating

A former Ohakune constable was jailed for three months yesterday after he was convicted of receiving an unemployment benefit for four years while working for the police.

Gareth Heatley pleaded guilty in the Wellington District Court to a charge of misleading the Ministry of Social Development by failing to inform them he was working.

The 32-year-old received 170 benefit payments worth $42,769 between May 2001 and February this year.

His lawyer, Mike Antunovic, said Heatley had been fast-tracked on to a benefit after being made redundant from Ansett in April 2001.

Like hundreds of others, Heatley received no redundancy pay from Ansett and got into debt trying to manage his bills.

In June 2001, he became a police officer.

Heatley knew he would lose his job if he was caught, Mr Antunovic said.

"The dreadful thought in the back of his mind was if he stopped what he was doing he was likely to be discovered.

"He didn't know what to do so he did nothing."

Heatley, who had no previous convictions, resigned from the police in September. He approached the ministry, making a full confession.

"He is totally shattered by what he has done to his life. He feels a huge sense of shame and a loss of self-respect."

Jail was a daunting prospect for the former police officer, Mr Antunovic said. "He will be at risk in the prison environment."

But ministry lawyer Charlotte Bates said a jail sentence was appropriate because Heatley's offending was at the upper end of the scale.

"There was premeditation. He said he didn't stop because he had debts. This is not a case of passing dishonesty."

Judge Jill Moss acknowledged Heatley's guilty early plea and offer to pay reparation of $30,000 in the next few weeks and repay the remainder in weekly instalments.

She sentenced him to three months' jail and granted him leave to apply for home detention, telling him: "Even responsible people do silly things sometimes."

- NZPA