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Home / Stratford Press

Watch NZH Local Focus: Convicted fraudster's family devastated at judge's decision

NZ Herald
15 Jun, 2017 11:54 AM2 mins to read

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Her husband will be picking up the bills. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Ray Thomson was defrauded of $320,000 dollars by his daughter Helen Christine Williams, who he trusted with access to his bank account.

"I mean you take people on face value, and you think they are going to do you a good turn. She was saying oh I will come down and look after you and all that, says Mr Thomson.

Last year she was convicted of fraud, sentenced to home detention and ordered to pay back $200 dollars a week.

She hasn't kept up payments.

So far she's only paid off $7227 of the $14,400 she should have handed over by now.

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Today in court, Judge Chris Sygrove agreed to reduce the payments to $100 per week.

"Pathetic. They should have been tough on her in the first place," says Mr Thomson.

Outside court Helen Williams refused to make any comment, but her brother had plenty to say.

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"I feel she has got off very lightly yet again, and it's not a good look yet again going forward to show others that you can do this sort of a crime and you get so little of a sentence, says John Thomson, Ray Thomson's son.

Her father, who is 86 years old and in a rest home, says he wants to warn others about elder abuse.

"Now I would advise people to be very cautious of any relation taking over financial dealings for them because they can fizzle it out and say you gave them the money," says Mr Thomson.

Helen Williams' husband, who will be footing the repayments, also refused to comment.

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