A United States woman entered New Zealand using a false passport and has been living here under the identity of a dead New Zealand baby.
Laurelyn Smith, 45, appeared in Wellington District Court yesterday charged with fraud, forgery and using a false New Zealand passport.
Judge Peter Butler
remanded Smith on bail with electronic monitoring to reappear in Wellington District Court on August 3.
Smith had been in custody since June 14. She illegally entered New Zealand on a false United Kingdom passport in June 1993 with her two sons, then aged 10 and 6. She then stole the identity of a dead baby born in 1962 and used its birth certificate to get an IRD number and bank account.
Judge Butler suppressed the name of the baby to protect the family.
During her time in New Zealand Smith received welfare benefits totalling about $30,000.
Her sons, now living in the US, obtained false New Zealand passports in 2001 by using the identities of deceased babies.
Police prosecutor Fiona McGeorge opposed bail on the grounds Smith was a high flight risk whose sons and family lived in America. Although she had no passport currently, she knew how to get one, Ms McGeorge said.
Smith's lawyer, Kevin Smith, said she was not a flight risk, had co-operated fully with police and there were mitigating factors to the case which would inspire court sympathy.
He said the officer in charge of the case had described Smith as a naive young woman influenced by her former partner who orchestrated the offending. Smith's current partner and several members of his family present in court yesterday fully supported Smith and were all willing to sign a monetary bail bond, to be lost if she fled, Mr Smith said.
Judge Butler said there was a flight risk but it could be addressed by a 24-hour curfew and electronic monitoring.
- NZPA
