Home detention sentence for Tauranga benefit fraudster Awhina Maree Blake

Awhina Maree Blake was sentenced on 10 benefit fraud charges in the Tauranga District Court yesterday. Photo / File

A Tauranga woman, who stole nearly $34,000 in welfare benefits, has been sentenced to seven months' home detention and 100 hours' community work.

Awhina Maree Blake, 36, from Mangatawa, was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court yesterday after she earlier pleaded guilty to a total of 10 charges.

They were one charge of obtaining by deception, four charges of using a document to obtain a pecuniary advantage, and five charges of using a forged document.

Blake was overpaid $33,936.40 between June 11, 2013, and June 19, 2016, after she claimed solo parent benefit, and additional support payments she was not entitled to.

Her offending included filing documents in which she had lied or omitted key facts, including not telling the truth about where she and her children were living.

On five occasions Blake also submitted forged letters to Work and Income purportedly written by family members to support her applications for benefit payments.

When confronted about her offending on August 25, 2016, Blake confirmed to the Work and Income investigator she was aware of her legal obligations.

She claimed she was under pressure to move constantly as she was being harassed by gang members and feared for her children, the summary of facts revealed.

Judge Paul Mabey QC said a deterrent sentence was required to bring home to Blake that benefit fraud, especially when it involved forged documents, was a "very serious" matter.

However, Judge Mabey said given Blake had no relevant prior convictions he could step back from a prison sentence but said he would not give her any discount for her guilty pleas because she had only admitted the charges on the morning of her trial.