Tears, anger at sentencing of thief

SHAME: Louise Willoughby hides her face as she leaves Masterton District Court following her sentencing for theft.

Victims of a Masterton budgeting volunteer who stole more than $38,000 from vulnerable clients say they are relieved name suppression has finally been lifted.

Former colleagues and victims packed the public gallery at Masterton District Court yesterday to hear Judge Peter Hobbs hand down a sentence of seven months' home detention to Louise May Willoughby, 51.

Judge Hobbs ordered Willoughby to pay $28,000 in reparations to her victims and declined her application for permanent name suppression, which had been sought on mental health grounds.

Willoughby had previously pleaded guilty to 12 counts of theft by a person in a special relationship and eight charges of using documents for financial advantage.

The charges relate to a total of more than $54,000 which she took from clients' bank accounts or by spending their cheques on herself.

Willoughby had repaid some money to the victims, meaning the loss to victims was $38,000. Of this, $10,400 had since been repaid.

Several victims wept during and after the sentencing, which came more than 11 months after the initial charges were first laid by Masterton police.

Teressa Mulvena, whose sister lost about $27,000 to Willoughby, said she was pleased name suppression had been lifted so the community would not be taken advantage of again.

"She should never, ever be in a trusted position with money. There are some people that are never going to change their spots."

Her sister, Andreana Perry, lived independently with the help of a caregiver and was simply not able understand the amount of money she had lost.

"It's easy to target people like my sister who aren't going to ask questions because they trust everybody."

Reading a victim impact statement in front of the court, she said the theft was discovered when the family began planning for her sister's 50th birthday party.

The life savings Willoughby stole from her sister meant she could no longer afford to go out with friends or kick up her heels at the Cossie Club, she said.

Heather Smith, the chairwoman and office manager of the Community Budgeting Trust (CBT), where Willoughby volunteered, said telling the clients about the theft was one of the hardest things she had ever done.

"You helped set up the CBT and always appeared to be passionate . . . look what you've done with your lies and deceit." "[I'm] now finding it hard to regain trust in humanity."

The offending had affected not just Willoughby's clients but her friends, family and colleagues, some of whom had been conned into giving her money to repay some of the money she stole, she said.

Willoughby's lawyer, Jock Blathwayt, told the court Willoughby and her husband had debts of about $220,000 and were filing for bankruptcy.

Judge Hobbs said Willoughby's offending had had a significant emotional and financial impact on her victims.

"[It] has created real financial hardship and real emotional hardship."

"It was clearly not an aberration but planned and premeditated."

In imposing a sentence he had to take into account her guilty plea and the fact she had no previous convictions, although that would come as "cold comfort" to the victims, Judge Hobbs said.

Speaking after the sentencing, a former friend of Willoughby's, pensioner Margaret Edwards, said she had acted as a guarantor for a $15,000 loan Willoughby had taken out.

She was sometimes forced to top up the loan payments and was worried about losing her home.

"It's not easy to find an extra $30 a week. If she stops paying, I've got no extra money, I've just got the home."

Another former friend, Kim Davies, who took out a personal loan of $8000 for Willoughby and has since taken on extra work to try to repay the loan, said seven months' home detention was not long enough.

"It should be more, or else imprisonment."