Former Tipene Funerals employee Fiona Bakulich during her sentencing at the Auckland District Court.
Former Tipene Funerals employee Fiona Bakulich during her sentencing at the Auckland District Court.
Fiona Bakulich’s bail request was denied in the Auckland District Court ahead of her sentence appeal.
Bakulich was sentenced to more than two years in prison after admitting multiple offences.
Victims described the impact of her actions as “soul-destroying” and “unfathomable”.
A disgraced ex-Tipene Funerals worker’s bid for freedom has been denied.
Fiona Bakulich appeared in the Auckland District Court this afternoon seeking bail ahead of her sentence appeal next month.
Bakulich, who also featured on the television show Casketeers, earlier pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including one for mishandling human remains and several for obtaining by deception.
She was sentenced this month to just over two years’ imprisonment.
Bakulich has since filed an appeal against her sentence.
Today, Judge David Sharp denied her bail application.
Fiona Bakulich, formerly of Tipene Funerals, during her sentencing at the Auckland District Court.
Previously, during her sentencing in the Auckland District Court, Judge Evangelos Thomas said to Bakulich: “You looked them [the victims] so softly in the eye, and stabbed them so ruthlessly in the back.
The victims “wanted ... peace and dignity and respect for their loved ones,” but Bakulich’s deception had denied them of it.
He sentenced her to two years and three months in jail but gave discounts for her guilty pleas.
During Bakulich’s sentencing, the police prosecutor read victim impact statements from affected families who were granted permanent name suppression.
“Today’s 14 months to the day our beautiful mother passed away. We put our trust and faith in our funeral director who our mother had requested before her passing.
“Over the past year, we have not even been able to fully grieve our mother. Losing our mum was hard enough without disclosing the aftermath.
“It has been nothing but overbearing, overwhelming, soul-destroying, and realising there is no amount that could be compensated. We have been stripped of all the most precious moments with our mother, all because of an opportunist, who actually thought it was her right to exploit her authority,” he told the court.
“Why? For what purpose does this serve you? Fiona Bakulich made a choice, premeditated and planned. The damage and trauma is of an unfathomable scale. Honestly, I think Fiona has no integrity, not one empathetic bone in her body. She is the epitome of soulless,” the court heard.
Fiona Bakulich appears in the Auckland District Court. Photo / Michael Craig
A second victim told the court that having to go through the lies at such a difficult time was one of the worst experiences ever.
“To find out about this broke me. To rob people during the worst time … I have no words for it. You have to have no heart to lie to people during such a time.“
Another victim said it was such a shame to have to relive their father’s death so often.
“My family and I have been deeply affected by Fiona’s actions. The celebration of my father’s life has been ruined by police statements. Instead of caring for us, she chose to trick us during a vulnerable time.”
Her former employer, Tipene Funerals co-owner Francis Tipene, has previously told the Herald he was sorry about Bakulich’s crimes and their impact on his clients.
Tipene saidhis company “deeply regrets the actions taken by its former employee”.
“We unreservedly apologise for the distress their actions have caused the families involved. I am deeply sorry for the pain and sorrow that this has caused those affected.”Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
