THREE pensioners were sentenced in Masterton District Court yesterday to community work for scamming doctors and hospitals for drugs. They were Gordon Joe, 69, of Taupo, Ena Lai Dung, 64, and husband Hok Lai Dung, 73, of Tauranga. The three were involved in a travelling scam where one person pretended to beinjured, and the others members of a coach tourist party accompanying that person, to obtain the drug pethidine from various medical premises. Judge Geoffrey Ellis said the sentencing related to "a string of offences in August this year", and the defendants had been "involved in quite an elaborate series of deceptions" to obtain the drugs. He said Joe "took an active part in this proceeding", but was most likely under "influence and pressure" from someone else. Mr Ellis sentenced Joe to 12 months "intensive supervision", including any psychological or other treatment, or courses. Sentencing Ena Lai Dung, Judge Ellis said it was clear there was "some pressure" from someone else in her offending. However, he said Lai Dung had not only chosen to offend herself but had led her husband, who is "particularly dependent on you because of his greater age and lesser knowledge of the English language" to offend also. He sentenced her to 160 hours of community work in Whakatane, "with authority for any or all of that to be commuted to training programmes". Judge Ellis sentenced Hok Lai Dung to 80 hours community work for the offence at a hospital in New Plymouth, and convicted and discharged him without further penalty for the offences committed in Masterton.
