A young mum with no criminal history went from “zero to 100″ with a string of offending that began with her stealing an injured relative’s $140,000 ACC payout and led to multiple thefts and her involvement in a brutal stabbing.
“I’ve stuffed up,” Mihiata Morgan told Judge Gregory Hikaka when she appeared in New Plymouth District Court earlier this week.
“I’ve reflected on my behaviours and the extent of my offending and how much it’s affected my whole life and my kids as well.”
The 29-year-old was facing nine charges, which she has accumulated over four years, leaving her on the cusp between a sentence of imprisonment or home detention.
From the dock she pleaded to avoid jail, telling Judge Hikaka she wanted to return to the “good, straight” track she was previously on and be a positive influence on her children.
The judge told her she had “run it really close to the wind all the way through” and that her “reflection” had taken some time, referring to her continued offending and breach of bail.
Morgan’s offending began in 2020 when a relative received a $140,255 lump sum payout from ACC following an earlier accident that resulted in a brain injury.
She had been appointed the victim’s property administrator in relation to his financial affairs, giving her access to his bank account.
In July 2020, she transferred the full ACC payment from his account into her own and eventually spent the entire amount.
Money was spent on paying off a car loan, buying a new vehicle, paying for a nail technician course, jewellery, travel, household appliances and some funds were transferred into her partner’s account.
The victim also received Superannuation payments, which were immediately transferred into Morgan’s account and spent.
This offending, which led to an admitted Crown charge of theft by a person in a special relationship, continued until May 2022.
Another Crown charge Morgan pleaded guilty to was accessory to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The charge stemmed from the stabbing of a teen at his New Plymouth home in November 2021.
Tema Ratana, the principal offender, was recently jailed for seven years for the attack, which left the victim with a 20cm wound and protruding innards.
The victim and a family member of Ratana’s had earlier been involved in a domestic incident attended by police.
Text message data showed Ratana and Morgan had concerns for the welfare of the family member and were angry at the victim who allegedly assaulted her.
Judge Hikaka said Morgan’s text messages were “unsavoury” and showed a desire for “a particular type of revenge that would incapacitate the victim, and indeed kill him”.
The court heard her involvement included driving Ratana, 39, from the scene and taking steps to avoid apprehension.
Police made an appeal to the public for sightings of the pair following the stabbing.
The other charges Morgan admitted spanned May 2023 to January this year and included three petrol thefts, being in possession of a machete and her involvement in a theft of $3800 worth of property.
At sentencing, defence lawyer Nathan Bourke said despite the ongoing offending, Morgan was technically a first-time offender as she had never before been sentenced by the court.
He described her offending pattern as going from “zero to 100″.
Bourke said a cultural report explained the “turmoil” she had gone through, which was not discussed in court, and linked to her offending.
He argued to keep Morgan out of prison, asking Judge Hikaka to take a chance on her, which he ultimately did.
On all charges, Judge Hikaka took a start point of three years imprisonment and then gave credit for Morgan’s guilty pleas and issues raised in the cultural report.
The end sentence then fell within the range where home detention could be considered, which the judge said he was minded to impose, despite it going against the submissions of Crown prosecutor Holly Bullock, police prosecutor John Simes and the recommendation of probation.
Morgan’s jail time was converted to 11 months’ home detention, and coupled with six months of post-detention conditions and an order to pay $1000 reparation.
The judge warned her to stay on track.
“If you don’t stick with this, you know which direction things will go.”
Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff where she covered crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.
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