Tauranga business couple jailed after $400,000 fraud

A Tauranga business couple found guilty of defrauding ACC of hundreds of thousands of dollars have been jailed.

Grant and Lorraine Brennan were sentenced in Tauranga District Court today after being found guilty of 88 charges of using a document for pecuniary advantage after their seven-week judge-alone trial.

Mr Brennan was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison while his wife was ordered to serve two years and five months behind bars.

The court heard the total of the couple's offending reached $408,703.35.

Throughout their trial which began on July 6 and ended on August 25, the Brennan Racing Limited directors maintained they honestly believed they were entitled to the ACC payments they received.

On April 24, 1999 Mr Brennan sustained a head injury after being assaulted by three youths while out running. He was hospitalised overnight and treated for a mild brain injury.

He subsequently claimed ACC payments and in May 2000 ACC also approved attendant care payments be made to Mrs Brennan for seven hours a day, five a days a week.

Between December 1999 and September 2011 Mr Brennan received ACC payments totalling $665,696.89 gross, and his wife was paid $55,790 in attendant care payments between 2000 and 2003.

Judge Glen Marshall sentenced the couple today.