Treasurer of Sunset Speedway in Westport who stole $6600 gets 150 hours of community work

Former treasurer of Westport's Sunset Speedway, Tania Dawn Lind has been sentenced to 150 hours of community work after stealing $6600 of club funds.

A treasurer of a popular West Coast speedway who stole more than $6000 in club cash has today avoided a jail sentence after repaying the pilfered money.

Tania Dawn Lind, 33, was a volunteer with Sunset Speedway in Westport when she took out cash for float money at four race meetings and never paid it back.

She was charged with stealing club funds on January 10, February 7, March 18, and April 15 last year. The amounts were for $3144, $1214, $800, and $1480, totalling $6638.

Club president Chris McSherry confirmed that Lind was no longer affiliated with the club.

Lind, who now lives in Christchurch, was sentenced at Christchurch District Court this afternoon.

The court heard that Lind has since "worked hard" to pay the money back in full. Police prosecutor Edana Sparks confirmed the repayment.

An application for a discharge without conviction was not pursued by Lind's lawyer today.

But defence counsel Andrew Riches asked for Lind - who was under huge financial stress at the time of the offending - to be convicted and discharged.

Judge Alistair Garland, however, told him: "That won't happen."

The judge said it was serious offending, with an element of premeditation.

Similar offending often results in sentences of imprisonment, Judge Garland said, because it involves a serious breach of trust.

But since Lind has repaid the money, pleaded guilty, had no previous convictions, and had her career options as a early childhood teacher "severely curtailed", meant that in this case, a sentence of 150 hours of community work was appropriate.