A woman who accidentally received $158,000 in an account transfer error has pleaded guilty to theft, apologised for her actions and claimed she thought the money was a “blessing” from God.
But that blessing could become a curse, with a major UK bank understood to have launched civil proceedings to recoup the money that inadvertently landed in her Westpac account in January last year.
Interpol is now involved in the case to help New Zealand authorities confirm whether Barclays Bank is going after the money, which it refunded to the victim in full after media coverage earlier this year.
Barclays is refusing to comment.
The Herald can reveal that the 38-year-old West Auckland mother pleaded guilty last month to theft.
A source said the family was religious, and the woman thought the surprise windfall that appeared in her account was a blessing from God.
She had sent a letter of apology to the court and was now trying to sell personal items to “make good” for what she had spent.
Her husband, 37, was jointly charged in connection with the transfer mix-up. He admitted receiving $64,000 of the victim’s money when he appeared at Auckland District Court this week.
Despite accepting their guilt, the couple have indicated they will seek permanent name suppression and ask the court to discharge them without convictions when they are sentenced next year.
They claim that identifying them could result in extreme hardship for their young family, because of a potential loss of employment.
The couple, who have been supported by an interpreter during court proceedings, initially pleaded not guilty and argued earlier that identifying them could undermine their fair trial rights.
The victim, Mt Roskill pensioner Andrew Che Sit Bong, wants the pair to face justice and believes they should both be publicly named.
He said the woman knew the money wasn’t hers when it was deposited into her account, but spent his life savings “like nobody’s business”.
The theft had a pronounced effect on his life. He suffered depression, sleepless nights, and was unable to pay for his son’s wedding.
He said he was frustrated that the woman was now trying to avoid responsibility for what she had put him through.
He wanted the court to hold her accountable and send a message to anyone else who accidentally received another person’s money.
“You have actually committed a crime. You took money that doesn’t belong to you.
“Sentencing is good so long as the sentence fits the crime.”
In January last year, Che tried to transfer his life savings from Barclays Bank in the UK to his Auckland Westpac account.
However, the money was lost after he missed a single digit when entering the recipient account details.
The 78-year-old told the Herald he was using an old computer with a “sticky keyboard” and one of the account numbers failed to register.
The number sequence he entered was for a valid account, but not his. The money was accidentally sent to the female defendant.
Police initially claimed the dispute was a civil matter before reopening the investigation after intervention from Che’s MP, eventually laying charges against the woman and her husband.
At an appearance in June, the woman pleaded not guilty to theft, while her husband pleaded not guilty to receiving $64,000 of Che’s money.
The case was called again in September before Judge Kirsten Lummis.
The man’s lawyer, Trunelle Massyn, said she was seeking translated copies of documents from police.
She said her client would apply for a discharge without conviction in the event of being found guilty, as he was the “sole bread-winner” and had several “mouths to feed”.
He planned to do voluntary community work and was finalising a payment arrangement with the bank.
At a hearing last month before Judge Swaran Singh, the woman’s lawyer, Leena Kumaran, said $28,000 of the money was ultimately returned to the bank.
The Herald understands the money was frozen in the woman’s account after Che alerted authorities that his money had been lost.
Prosecutor Victoria Brooker told the court that Barclays was “out of pocket” after refunding Che.
She had been advised that Barclays was pursuing civil action to recoup the money.
Interpol was now trying to confirm whether legal action was under way to help ascertain whether Barclays was a victim in the case and therefore a possible recipient of any reparation order.
Interpol’s investigations could take up to four months to complete.
Asked by the Herald whether it had filed civil proceedings and, if so, how much it was seeking in damages, a Barclays spokesman said, “We’ve no further comment on this case.”
Judge Singh remanded the woman on bail for sentencing in February next year.
Interim name suppression remains in place until sentencing.
The woman’s husband appeared before Judge Steve Bonnar KC this week and also pleaded guilty.
He was remanded on bail to the same February sentencing date with interim name suppression continued.
Lane Nichols is Auckland desk editor for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
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