Tania Malcolm jailed for two months for fraud offences in Rotorua while on parole

Tania Whiteman, also known as Tania Joy Malcolm when sentenced in the Rotorua District Court in 2016.

A woman who pushed a Rotorua business to the brink of bankruptcy by stealing more than $300,000 from them has again tried to rip them off, less than a year after being released from jail.

Tania Joy Malcolm, 38, appeared in the Rotorua District Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to two fraud charges - attempting to obtain by deception and obtaining by deception.

Malcolm, also known as Tania Whiteman, was released from jail on October 16, 2017 after being jailed for two years and nine months for obtaining by deception $326,101.26 from Pearce Flooring while she was the accounts and payroll administrator for the firm.

In 2016, as part of her sentence, she was also ordered to pay $150,000 in reparation to Pearce Flooring.

The new charges relate to offences on September 20 this year when she went to Bunnings in Rotorua and selected items, including lighting equipment, a staple gun and polythene, and asked the cashier to put them on the Pearce Flooring company account, a police summary of facts said.

When asked for photographic identification, she put the items to one side and said she would be back with the identification, the summary said.

She returned later that day and took similar items to the checkout, this time asking the items be put on the Patchells Industries trade account. When asked for a purchase order, she said to put it under the name "Donna", the summary said.

The items were then allowed to be bought, for a total of $114.26.

Malcolm's lawyer, Tim Braithwaite, told Judge Maree McKenzie in court on Tuesday Malcolm had found herself in a difficult position since being released from prison and had intended to pay for the items.

Braithwaite said Malcolm had said she messaged an associate at Patchell Industries and had not heard back but had decided to put the items under the name "Donna" anyway, with the intention of paying it back when she could.

Judge McKenzie said there were clearly aggravating factors, including that she was on parole at the time of the offending and that she revictimised Pearce Flooring.

She sentenced Malcolm to two months' imprisonment on each of the charges, to be served concurrently.

Maryanne Pearce from Pearce Flooring was present in court and said she had hoped Malcolm would be jailed for longer, particularly given she had not served all of her previous sentence.

"It is such a disappointing sentence, especially because she had the cheek to try it again with us. We were completely oblivious to everything she was doing to us."

She said she didn't believe "for one minute" Malcolm intended to pay back the companies for the items she was attempting to take at Bunnings.