Woman admits using forged passports

A woman has admitted trying to withdraw money from two Canterbury banks using forged passports.

The attempts took place at banks in the Christchurch suburb of Riccarton, and at Rangiora, north of the city, after the passports were stolen in house burglaries in the Hutt Valley.

Anniko Quinn, a 24-year-old solo mother on the domestic purposes benefit, pleaded guilty to two charges of using forged documents at an appearance before Judge Kevin Phillips in Christchurch District Court today.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Mark Berryman said she had gone to the Riccarton branch of Westpac on May 20 and presented a New Zealand passport which had been altered to display her photograph.

She tried to gain access to a person's bank account which contained $8000 but the bank declined her request.

She tried a similar ruse at the Rangiora Westpac branch the next day, this time trying to get access to an account containing $24,000.

Again the bank refused and she was caught by the police when she left the bank.

Police found that the identities she attempted to use belonged to two people who had been the victims of house burglaries in the Hutt Valley, where personal documents and banking records had been stolen.

Defence counsel Phillip Allan applied for bail for Quinn pending her sentencing, saying that nobody had lost any money as a result of the forgeries.

"It wasn't through a lack of trying," said Judge Phillips.

Mr Allan said he believed that bail should be considered afresh because Quinn had now entered pleas, even though it had been refused by a judge at an earlier remand.

He said her boyfriend had been in contact and would be able to get Quinn home to the Hutt Valley suburb of Naenae.

Quinn was a mother of children aged nine, four, and three. Her sister was at present caring for these children, but also had three of her own.

Judge Phillips remanded Quinn for sentence, calling for a pre-sentence report to consider her suitability for home detention.

She was remanded in custody pending a bail hearing.

- NZPA