Fraudster's conduct concerned colleague

VINDICATED: Alva Linton, a former colleague of convicted fraudster Louise Willoughby.PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

A former colleague of fraudster Louise Willoughby says she feels vindicated by the conviction as the former budget adviser had tried to trap her in a room and interrogated her after she raised questions about Willoughby's conduct.

Alva Linton, a former budget advisor at the Wairarapa Free Budget Advisory Service, said Willoughby, who is now serving a term of seven months' home detention for stealing more than $38,000 from clients at the Community Budgeting Trust, tried to lock her in a room shortly after several clients complained to her about Willoughby in 2001.

Linton, who worked at the service from 2000 to 2005, said Willoughby tried to prevent her from leaving until she answered questions about what she knew.

"Because I was asking questions she got suspicious of me and thought I was collecting documentation."

"She got wind of this somehow and I was doing the reconciliations and I was at the computer and nobody really comes into that room ... so it's really a very quiet room and I was aware she walked in ... and locked me in the room."

"She was yelling and screaming saying 'you aren't getting out of here, you are not getting out, give me what you've got'."

Willoughby blocked the door by sticking her leg out, she said.

"I actually had to use force to get out of the room that day."

Mrs Linton said she had began to make enquiries after several elderly Maori clients queried why their bills did not seem to be paid off faster.

"The budget service had total control of their money but because I started questioning certain things that I thought needed questioning ... then I wasn't very popular."

She had contacted the NZ Federation of Family Budgeting Services and was in the process of asking the clients to put their concerns on paper when the confrontation with Willoughby occurred.

Willoughby quit the budgeting service shortly afterward.

Mrs Linton said it was brought to her attention that Willoughby had asked a client's church for financial assistance without the person's permission and had visited other advisors' clients without informing them, behaviour she believed to be inappropriate.

After leaving the service, Willoughby went on to defraud clients at the Community Budgeting Trust of more than $38,000.

Grant Howard, who worked with Willoughby and Mrs Linton and was appointed manager of Wairarapa Free Budget Advisory Service after Willoughby resigned, said he saw Willoughby confront Mrs Linton in an "aggressive"and "bullying" way.

"Logic tells me she must have been worried that Alva was going to find something ... there must have been something not quite right."

He had not had any suspicions about Willoughby before the confrontation, Mr Howard said.

"But if you have a clear conscience it doesn't matter what other people say about you," he said.

The NZ Federation of Family Budgeting Services regional representative Robyn Evans said she could not recall an official complaint about Willoughby but she did remember some "argy bargy" involving her.

"Before there was any action taken she left ... I can't recall an official complaint because by the time it got to be investigated Louise had gone."

Mrs Linton said despite her experience she believed there were many honest budget advisors in the community.

However, those that could learn to manage their own money, should, she said.

"I think that a warning should go out that once you get out of debt, manage your own money because there's all that temptation."