Rotorua inmate plots to fool hotel into giving girlfriend 4-day stay by claiming police would pay

A prison inmate and his girlfriend duped a hotel into giving her a free stay by claiming police would pay. Photo / Rattankun Thongbun

From behind prison bars, Jason Bust and an associate hatched a plan to get Bust’s girlfriend an expenses-paid hotel stay by claiming the police would pay for it.

And for a while, they got away with it.

Now Bust, 38, and his 18-year-old girlfriend, Autumn-Rose Owen-Manuel, have appeared in the Rotorua District Court and admitted their role in pretending to be a senior police officer and, as a result, getting four nights in a hotel with room service, valued at nearly $1400.

The Rotorua couple were jointly charged with “personating” a police officer and causing loss by deception valued at more than $1000. Personating a police officer carries a maximum sentence of 12 months’ jail and causing loss by deception of more than $1000 carries a maximum sentence of seven years.

A summary of facts obtained by the Rotorua Daily Post said Bust was an inmate at Mt Eden Correctional Facility at the time of the offending.

On January 7 at 10.04am, he made a phone call to Owen-Manuel using the prison phone system.

The summary said a conversation was had between the pair and an associate from within the prison about booking a hotel for Owen-Manuel to stay in.

Bust asked her to conduct a conference call with a hotel, which cannot be named for legal reasons, and the associate would make the booking.

Owen-Manuel immediately called the hotel but no one answered.

At 10.07am, Bust and Owen-Manuel discussed how they were going to book the room, the summary of facts said.

At 10.09am, Owen-Manuel tried to call the hotel again but panicked and hung up, thinking the prison’s pre-recorded automated message would be heard.

At 10.14am, she called through a conference call with Bust. The receptionist answered and Bust’s prison associate said: “Good morning, it’s Constable John Kedzlie from Manukau Police Station, how are you?”

The associate said he needed to make a booking for a client in witness protection for four days. He was transferred to another department of the hotel, where he was greeted by the operator, and he again stated: “Senior Constable John Kedzlie speaking, how are you?”

The associate repeated he needed a booking and confirmed the name and dates from January 7 to 11.

He provided a police order number and said it would be a full charge back to police, the summary said.

The call ended after six minutes, with the booking confirmed.

Bust called Owen-Manuel back immediately using the prison phone system and they went over the booking details so she knew what to say when checking in.

All three laughed together on the phone, with Bust saying: “That’s what we are going to be doing all the time, baby.”

Owen-Manuel replied: “Fake it till we make it.”

She arrived at the hotel on the same day, just before midday, and checked in under the name J Kedzlie.

During her stay, she clocked up a room bill of $1386.28. This included general room charge, phone calls and room service. She checked out without attempting to pay.

Police caught up with Bust and Owen-Manuel at a Ngongotahā house on May 17.

Bust told police his girlfriend had nowhere to stay while he was in prison and his associate said he knew how to get her a room in a motel.

Owen-Manuel said she knew the hotel booking was fraudulent but still made no attempt to pay.

Court information released to the Rotorua Daily Post showed Bust appeared in the Rotorua District Court in May and was sentenced to nine months’ intensive supervision, 60 hours’ community work and was ordered to pay reparation.

In response to a media application for court documents relating to Owen-Manuel, Rotorua District Court Judge Greg Hollister-Jones said Owen-Manuel could apply for a discharge without conviction when she appeared for sentencing on August 29.

The Rotorua Daily Post asked if the associate from within the prison was also being charged, and a spokeswoman said police couldn’t make any comments given that Owen-Manuel was yet to be sentenced.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.