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Home / New Zealand

Catholic school funds used for prostitutes

APNZ
2 Feb, 2012 11:00 PM2 mins to read

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File photo / NZ Herald

File photo / NZ Herald

A man who paid for prostitutes using almost $130,000 stolen from the Catholic secondary school he worked at has been jailed after his family refused to agree to home detention.

David Don, 44, took $126,728.01 over the five years he was employed as executive officer at St Patrick's College in Wellington.

He was sentenced at Wellington District Court this morning to two years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to eight charges of dishonestly accessing a computer system and one of money laundering.

Judge Chris Tuohy said Don had become eligible for home detention after repaying about $12,500 of the money since last June.

However, all adults living at an address nominated for such a sentence had to give their consent and that had not been forthcoming.

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Don's wife and son live in the family home. His son was in court today and after the hearing said the sentence was not a surprise. He did not want to comment further.

Judge Tuohy said Don had suffered "public humiliation'' as a result of his offending.

"Your career has obviously been destroyed.''

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At an earlier hearing the Crown told the court Don had spent $19,820 on prostitutes at escort agencies the Kensington and Quarry Inn.

He recorded the expense as "Corporate Wellington'' and "Corporate Lower Hutt'' in the school's banking system.

A further $3700 was transferred to Mr Waterbed Ltd for a king-size, deluxe waterbed Don had delivered to his home.

Another $1107.45 was used for personalised sweatshirts for his social football club.

Don also made extra mortgage payments of $34,227.52 on the house he and his wife own in Vogeltown, Wellington, which has an official valuation of $425,000.

Judge Tuohy today said Don had tried to raise funds against his half of the house to repay what he had stolen.

However, his wife had not agreed "and I don't criticise her in any way for that decision'', the judge said.

Don had used his accrued annual leave to pay off some of the debt. He continued to make repayments at $50 a week from his emergency benefit and some "menial'' work he had picked up.

"... you've done what you can to pay what you can,'' Judge Tuohy said.

Don did not appear surprised by the sentence and had come prepared with a small backpack.

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He will be able to apply for home detention should a suitable address be found.

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