Kara Hurring sentenced to home detention

The partner of the man dubbed the runaway millionaire  has been sentenced to nine months home detention for her involvement.

Former Rotorua woman Kara Hurring, 33, appeared before Judge Phillip Cooper in the Rotorua District Court

this morning after being found guilty in May by a Rotorua District Court jury of 25 charges of theft.

She also has been ordered to pay $11,830 in reparation.

She was also been found guilty of three charges of attempting to dishonestly use a document and two charges of money laundering.

It was the Crown case that after Westpac mistakenly put $10 million into the bank account of Hurring's partner, Hui "Leo'' Gao, he left the country and four days later Hurring and her daughter left New Zealand and went to Hong Kong.

The pair were dubbed "runaway millionaires''.

The 25 theft charges related to Hurring using Gao's bank card to make purchases and withdraw money from ATMs in New Zealand. Three counts involving attempts to use a document relate to Hurring trying to make purchases and withdraw money, also in New Zealand.

The two money-laundering counts relate to Hurring setting up a "player'' account at a casino in Macau, where two deposits were made totalling more than $340,000, money that could be converted into chips for gambling or to pay for

services, including accommodation and food.