Elderly father feels ‘ripped off ’ again
An 85-year-old who lost his life savings to his daughter feels he has been ripped off again by her and the system which was meant to help him.
Between September 2010 and March 2012, Ray Thomson had $320,000 stolen off him by his daughter, Helen Christine Williams, leaving him with just $20 to his name.
In January 2016, Williams was sentenced to 12 months’ home detention and ordered to pay back all the money she took, at a rate of $200 per week.
But Ray has not seen a cent since November 29.
Before then the payments were intermittent and of the $11,400 she should have already paid back by now, Williams had only coughed up $6400.
To date, no enforcement action has been taken against Williams by the court.
Now, the hurt and pain Ray shared with the nation about the impact his daughter’s betrayal had on him has been replaced with anger and disappointment.
Last October, Ray spoke out about how devastated he was about what had happened to him, a story which touched the hearts of total strangers and resulted in an outpouring of support for the Stratford man.
For Ray, it has never been about the money – it’s about the principle.
He felt the court sentencing of Williams was a ‘‘waste of time’’ if she was able to ignore her responsibility to pay the money back.
‘‘The law of the country is supposed to be upheld,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m disgusted with the whole set up.’’ It has been a thoroughly disheartening experience for Ray, who has been living in a rest home since the offending came to light.
He no longer considered Williams his daughter and the two do not speak. The past five years had been very difficult for him, he said.
‘‘The law of the country is supposed to be upheld. I’m disgusted with the whole set up.’’
‘‘You never think you own daughter is going to pull a fast one on you. It’s the last thing you think of.’’
He said if nothing was done to force offenders to pay up, it sent the wrong message and people might think they could get away with ripping off vulnerable people like him.
Ray’s son, John Thomson, said information released to him by the Ministry of Justice regarding Williams’ payment history showed it took four weeks after she was sentenced for the money to start trickling in and it had been stop and start ever since.
‘‘It’s disappointing we have to chase the courts up,’’ he said.
‘‘They just seem to have no teeth. ‘‘Dad’s clearly being ripped off a second time and it’s just not good enough,’’ he said.
It is understood Williams was supposed to provide evidence of her financial situation to the court so a reassessment of her ability to pay could be completed.
If this is done, it could mean she might be required to pay less.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the agency could not comment on individual cases but that several options were available to the court when reparation is not paid. This includes seizing cars and property or putting a stop to overseas travel.
On Friday, Williams was approached at her Stratford home but when asked if she wanted to comment on the situation she replied ‘‘no’’ and shut the door.
Last last year, New Plymouth woman Mary Tihema, 74, went bankrupt in order to free herself of a $13,000 debt she was lumbered with after being talked into taking out a loan in her name by Williams.
The convicted fraudster told Tihema she needed some extra cash to pay her bills but because of her bad credit history, she wasn’t able to get a personal loan of her own.