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Police have raised the stakes in their prosecution of a 23-year-old woman they accuse of conning her way into elderly women's houses and stealing property.
A series of summary charges was today replaced with 28 indictably laid charges which bring heavier penalties into play.
Christchurch District Court Judge David Holderness remanded Tipene Christine Bain, unemployed, in custody pending a pre-depositions conference on May 10.
She has not pleaded to any of the new charges, but she had already admitted charges of theft of a cellphone and trespassing at the Christchurch Casino, and those charges have been remanded to the same date.
She now faces 22 charges of entering buildings with intent to commit crimes, and two of dishonestly using bank cards. She also faces four charges of using deception to get people to hand over a cheque and cash payments of $4, $160, and $20.
Defence counsel Douglas Brown made no application for bail at today's appearance. Bain has been in custody since her arrest in early March.
- NZPA
