A woman who stole $12,629 from two of her children's bank
accounts has been sentenced to 200 hours' community work and
ordered to pay them that amount of reparation.
Donna Maree Frame (43), of Roxburgh, had earlier admitted two
charges of theft by a person in a special relationship.
She appeared for sentencing in the Alexandra District Court
yesterday
The victims of the charges were her elder children.
She had opened accounts for the children when they were
younger and had operating authority for those accounts
because of their age, Judge Stephen O'Driscoll said.
When they were old enough, the children had gained
after-school jobs, paid their wages into the accounts and
saved some money.
Prosecutor Sergeant Ian Collin told the court at Frame's
appearance in October that she had withdrawn money 140 times
from one child's account, between March 30, 2006, and
February 5, 2010 - a total of $9924.
Some of that money was for the child, but "the vast majority
was for herself".
Frame had taken money from the other child's account 24 times
between May 24, 2005, and April 21, 2008 - a total of $2705.
Some was for the child , but "most was not", Sgt Collin said.
Judge O'Driscoll said the victim impact report the children,
twins aged 19, now had little contact with their mother.
"They felt disappointed and let down by the state in which
they found their finances and on learning that the money was
taken by you," Judge O'Driscoll said.
It was a breach of trust, he said.
Counsel for Frame, John Pritchard, said the defendant was a
first offender. She had raised the children "with no
assistance from anyone" since they were young.
There was no bank or automatic teller machine in Roxburgh and
so she used telephone banking to transfer money from her
children's accounts to her, believing that was at the
children's request.
Judge O'Driscoll then asked why Frame had not defended the
charge.
She had pleaded guilty to two criminal offences, that she had
taken money without their authority. Sometimes the money was
taken with their consent, but there were other times it was
without their consent, he said.
Mr Pritchard said Frame had earlier entered a not guilty plea
"but that could not be sustained".
She had accepted the amount of reparation but could only
spare $52 a year to pay the money back.
"I hope that the offer to pay reparation is not a meaningless
and shallow one," Judge O'Driscoll said.
Offering $1 a week towards reparation was not enough. The
amount had to be "meaningful".
He received references and testimonials on Frame's behalf
from several people in the community.
Mr Pritchard said although her name had been suppressed in
the interim, the defendant was not seeking final suppression.
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