Woman's jail term for fraud reduced

A Taranaki woman jailed for benefit fraud worth more than $127,000 has had her 18-month jail term reduced to home detention.

The Court of Appeal allowed an appeal by Anna Moana Ransom against her prison sentence and reduced it to nine months home detention and 75 hours community service.

It said a significant factor in its decision was that since Ransom had been jailed, her husband had had to give up work to care for their six-year-old child. As a consequence of her imprisonment he was now on a social welfare benefit.

Between 1998 and 2007, Ransom on 11 occasions failed to declare her marital status to the Ministry of Social Development, from which she received benefit payments totalling $127,985.59.

Eventually she pleaded guilty to 11 charges of benefit fraud - seven counts of using a document with intent to defraud and four of using a document with intent to obtain a pecuniary advantage.

New Plymouth District Court Judge Allan Roberts jailed Ransom on June 4.

Although aware she was considered a suitable candidate for home detention and the address was suitable for electronic monitoring, Judge Roberts declined the application.

Addressing the issue, he said the offending was "far, far too serious".

"Sentencing consistency is important and a consistent message must go to you and other beneficiaries who seek to abuse this system that significant defalcation will be met by sentences of imprisonment," he said.

Ransom's lawyer argued that the sentence was excessive.

He contended that the judge had given too much prominence to the amount of the overpayment and submitted that there was no warrant for the judge's view that "significant defalcation will be met by sentences of imprisonment"; particularly for someone who had not previously offended in any way.

The Court of Appeal decided a sentence of home detention, in addition to community work, was sufficient in the case to meet the sentencing goals of accountability, denunciation and deterrence.

In reaching its conclusion, the court took into account the value in Ransom being able to personally care for her child and the benefits of her husband being able to return to paid employment. Recognising that Ransom had already served some time in prison, the Court of Appeal imposed a sentence of nine months home detention and 75 hours of community work.

It said it expected Ransom's husband to do everything possible to return to work promptly.

- NZPA