Prostitute stole from clients to fund drug habit

File photo / Greg Bowker

A prostitute used credit cards stolen from clients to go to on a two-month spending spree to fund her $100-a-day drug habit, a court was told today.

Sasha Elizabeth Miles, 37, was sentenced in Christchurch District Court today to six months home detention after admitting obtaining goods by deception, possessing drugs and a knife, and receiving stolen property.

Defence counsel Glenn Henderson said Miles' offending was driven by her drug habit but she was remorseful and had cleaned up her act since a spell in prison.

Judge Colin Doherty said Miles told her pre-sentence report writer that the offending was carried out to provide a basic quality of life for her children but she spent the money on drugs.

He said she had a $100-a-day drug habit and the prostitution and dishonesty were used to get money for the drugs, using the credit cards to buy goods she could sell.

Her victims were not pleased about the way she treated them and used their money for her own purposes but when in the grips of drug addiction, people took whatever means they could, he said.

He sentenced her to six months' home detention and said she was to attend sessions for budgeting, and treatment programmes.

He remitted outstanding fines of $6700 and ordered reparations of $8000 to be paid to her victims.

- NZPA