Woman used ‘cruel lie’ about son’s cancer
A convicted fraudster swindled thousands of dollars from unsuspecting Kiwis by claiming she needed money for her son’s specialist cancer treatment.
Simone Anne Wright was found guilty of seven counts of obtaining by deception in August and was sentenced yesterday to one year and five months’ imprisonment.
Christchurch District Court Judge Paul Kellar found Wright had partnered with her conman husband, Paul James Bennett, to commit fraud totalling about $35,000.
Wright and Bennett advertised items on Trade Me in 2008, including a motorcycle, an outdoor spa, a silage wagon and a quad bike. The pair disappeared after buyers deposited money into one of Wright’s bank accounts, and the items were never delivered.
One victim said he responded to a listing for a motorcycle that stated: ‘‘Our son has cancer and can no longer ride his pride and joy.’’ He said he spoke on the phone to the seller, who identified himself as John, and he agreed to pay $2650 for the bike and delivery.
The buyer was later emailed bank account details from someone called Susan, who said they were John’s partner. The man said he spoke to Susan by phone, and she told him they planned to use the money for specialist treatment for their son who had cancer.
The motorcycle never arrived and ‘‘John and Susan’’ could not be reached again.
In May 2008, another victim responded to an advertisement on Trade Me for a fish tracking device. He communicated with the seller by email and was given bank details. The victim paid $3010 into Wright’s account for the tracker and postage.
The seller later emailed him to say they might be hard to reach as they were ‘‘down in Auckland at Starship Hospital with my son’’. The device never arrived and the victim was unable to reach the seller again.
Five other victims also transferred money to Wright’s bank account for goods advertised on Trade Me. In all but one case, the victims were told the seller had a sick child in hospital. They never received the goods and could not reach the sellers again.
Crown prosecutor Penny Brown said Wright’s dishonesty had a significant impact on the victims, both financially and emotionally. ‘‘They no longer trust people as they once did.’’
Brown said the lie about a sick child was ‘‘cruel’’ and clearly used to engender sympathy.
Defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger said Wright did not accept the guilty verdict, but did accept she had to be sentenced based on the judge’s findings.
Bulger said Bennett was the ‘‘mastermind’’ behind the dishonesty.
Judge Kellar said he had to consider several factors, including the amount of money involved and the loss to the victims, the harm caused, and the motivation for the offending, which seemed to be ‘‘nothing other than greed’’.