Woman harbours child offenders

A woman has admitted harbouring young people who had fled custody, with police saying she let vulnerable children use her home as a base for their own offending.

Pamela Dianne Tepurei, a 32-year-old prostitute, pleaded guilty in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday to harbouring two young people who were in the custody of the state. She also admitted dishonestly using a credit card, receiving stolen property and unlawfully getting into a vehicle.

According to court documents, the two young people, aged 12 and 13, were in Oranga Tamariki’s custody after being charged with offending. The police summary of facts says Tepurei often lets young people stay at her small Palmerston North flat.

Some of the young people had been reported missing, others were vulnerable children under care, while others have said they used her house as a ‘‘base’’ for their offending. Police had warned her about her actions, telling her to stop letting children stay.

The immediate chain of events leading to the harbouring charge began on August 21, when a Mazda Demio was stolen from a Palmerston North property.

Tepurei used a credit card from another burglary to fill the Mazda with petrol and buy tobacco from a Palmerston North petrol station.

She was found in the driver’s seat of the Mazda in Taihape, but denied ever driving it.

She claimed she had been picked up from her home in Palmerston North by a 13-year-old male who was with her. She admitted she knew the car was stolen as it had no key.

Tepurei handed in electronics stolen in the burglary at the police station, saying they were hers, and laughed when police found out they were actually stolen.

Back in Palmerston North, police found a stolen car and saw two young people running away from it.

Police dogs tracked the children to Tepurei’s house, meaning she was in breach of a bail condition not to associate with people under 17.

Tepurei was bailed sentencing in November. until