KEY POINTS:
A woman who lied repeatedly to receive more than $97,000 in benefits over a period of nearly 10 years spent most of it on supporting her children and grandchildren, Tauranga District Court was told today.
Papamoa housewife Hazel Webster, 46, admitted 11 charges of dishonestly using a document (which each carry a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment) and one count of wilful omission (liable to a fine of up to $5000 and/or 12 months behind bars).
Judge Peter Rollo sentenced Webster to a total of two years in jail, deferred for two months to give her time to apply for home detention.
Meanwhile, she will be on bail and under curfew.
The judge gave discount for Webster's early guilty pleas, remorse, ill health and personal circumstances.
"Your offending seems to have been for your whanau rather than yourself," he said, ordering conditions after her release that included counselling or courses on budgeting, coping strategies and life skills.
Webster's husband was paying back the money on her behalf at $20 a week.
"On my calculations, it will take 93 years at least to repay the money you have stolen," Judge Rollo told her.
Appearing for the Ministry of Social Development, Tony Cicolini said: "This was not a need situation but rather a greed situation."
Webster's husband had been in fulltime employment with an income of about $600 a week.
She applied for the domestic purposes benefit in April 1996 when the couple parted, but failed to tell the ministry when they reconciled a few months later because they were "in serious financial difficulty".
Over the years, Webster submitted nine renewal applications reviewing her entitlement to the benefit, stating she was not living with anyone in a relationship in the nature of marriage.
In 1997 and 1998, she applied for a childcare subsidy, saying she was separated.
Between September 1996 and May 2006, the defendant was paid a total of $97,197.68 in domestic purpose and supplementary benefits.
Webster's lawyer Craig Tuck said the offending was not "greed in itself." She was just running the household and supporting non-working adult children who lived with her, along with grandchildren.
"Her own upbringing was pretty much that of a slave," said Mr Tuck.
She had "a big heart" and was giving, supporting and caring. But she was providing for and nurturing everyone using money she was not entitled to.
Webster, who had not had a holiday in a decade, was completely unable to determine how the money was spent, he said.
"Now she is here to face the music."
A large number of men, women, children and babies in arms - all whanau and friends - filled the courtroom's public gallery to support Webster during her appearance.
Judge Rollo said she had excellent references, some even describing her as a model mother.
"But model parents do not steal over a 10 year period."
Some of Webster's adult children were unemployed, also presumably receiving benefits, and refused to get jobs, he said.
"Perhaps you should have turned them out to work."
Theft such as hers from the community was a selfish and unlawful use of a scarce financial resource, the judge said.
Another Papamoa woman also appeared today accused of defrauding the Ministry of Social Development of just over $37,000.
Tracy Lorraine Coker, 34, has been convicted of seven charges and remanded on bail for a pre-sentence report. She will be sentenced on July 3.
- NZPA
