Scam punishment

A Wellington man has asked for leniency for the former Christchurch woman who scammed him out of $35,000 by offering her already married ‘‘sister’’ in a marriage contract. Wallace – who only wanted to be known by his surname – got his wish, but the scammer, Li Jun Xue, 60, will have to pay him another $10,000 in reparations for his expenses and emotional harm. ‘‘You scammed the victim into parting with his money, which he had saved carefully over a number of years for the benefit of his son,’’ Judge Tom GIlbert told her in the Christchurch District Court on Friday.