Surgeon's wife wins sentence appeal

File photo / NZ Herald

The wife of a leading Wairarapa orthopaedic surgeon has been released from jail after serving eight days of an 18-month sentence for stealing nearly $180,000.

Lisa Schwanecke, 45, was this month sentenced in Masterton District Court to 18 months' jail and ordered to pay $25,000 reparation on multiple counts of skimming $177,464 from finance companies by forging her husband's signature.

Her sentence was changed to nine months' home detention after an appeal to the High Court in Wellington on Friday, the Dominion Post reported.

Schwanecke's husband, Konrad, a surgeon employed by Wairarapa District Health Board, fought to keep the family's name from being made public, saying it would affect his job and the couple's 13-year-old daughter, but Justice Jill Mallon refused to grant permanent name suppression.

Schwanecke took out fraudulent loans out of anger and frustration because her television career had been interrupted by the move to Wairarapa, the court was told.

A major point of her appeal, was the efforts to repay the stolen money.

Schwanecke has no independent income but the order to pay reparation at $100 a week remained unchanged.

Defence lawyer Jock Blathwayt said the decision was "not quite fair" given the couple's joint resources.

Prosecution lawyer Ian Murray said it seemed that district court judge Jan Kelly had been sceptical about whether a genuine attempt was made to pay reparation.

- NZPA