Fugitives face seven years' jail

Fugitives Leo Gao and Kara Hurring could face charges carrying a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, an Auckland lawyer says.

Inquiry head Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Harvey said on Monday that it was likely the pair would face charges relating to the access and use of a computer, rather than theft.

Rachael Reed, a Crown prosecutor at law firm Meredith Connell, told the Herald yesterday that fraud-related charges that might be used in the circumstances included dishonesty using a document, accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose and obtaining or causing loss by deception.

All charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, which is the same as a conviction for theft.

Ms Reed said charges against Hurring could include money-laundering, which also carried a seven-year jail term, but that would depend on whether she had assisted or encouraged Gao.