Fraudster ‘sorry’ for school theft
A Hutt Valley college’s students were left with mismatched sports jerseys, abandoned school trips, and no new library books after the man meant to be in charge of its purse-strings siphoned $375,000 into his own pockets.
Donald John Hancox, former executive officer at Upper Hutt College, has apologised for fleecing the school over seven years as he was sentenced to jail last Wednesday.
Hancox, 68, of Carterton, who worked at the college for 20 years, was sentenced in Hutt Valley District Court, where the school community outlined its shock at what he had done.
A victim impact statement read by a Serious Fraud Office investigator on behalf of principal Judith Taylor detailed the sense of ‘‘hypocrisy’’ when ‘‘dumbfounded’’ staff learned of Hancox’s offending.
He had been strict in his involvement in the college’s financial management, Taylor’s statement said. ’’I trusted him totally.’’
The school had to say ‘‘no’’ to spending items such as new library books, sports gear and trips because of Hancox’s offending: ’’Sorry, but you will have to represent the school wearing a mismatched jersey that’s been here 20 years,’’ Taylor said.
The school had to be placed under statutory management by the Ministry of Education because of the fraud, and faced continued ‘‘administrative fallout’’ over the stolen money and stolen time, she said.
A group of the college’s staff were in the court’s public gallery to watch as Hancox was sentenced to two years and three months in jail.
He was allowed to stand in court and apologise directly to the school community and to his family.
‘‘I’m really, truly sorry for the actions that I took,’’ he said. ‘‘After many years at school it was something that I never expected myself to do and it’s something that I truly regret.’’
The fraud was exposed by an SFO investigation, after a contractor raised concerns about an unpaid invoice.
Hancox’s lawyer said Hancox had not paid the school back yet, but offered to pay reparations from his superannuation, noting he had a family home and expected the college might take civil action.
Judge Barbara Morris acknowledged his early guilty plea and apology, but said the crime was ‘‘significant’’.
The Ministry of Education confirmed on Wednesday that the college had been placed under statutory management ‘‘after the discovery of alleged fraud’’.
It initiated statutory interventions ‘‘because of the risks caused by the school’s poor financial management and inadequate board systems and processes’’, Steve Stuart, deputy secretary of sector enablement and support, said.
Graeme Smith, chairman of the school’s board of trustees, said the board had undergone a review of its policies and processes six months before the intervention, which the ministry was aware of and had been invited to be involved in.
‘‘The ministry were also aware of the significant effort that went into managing the school’s finances with the ministry appointed specialist advisor and the positive financial gains that the board achieved during and up to the time the limited statutory manager for finance was appointed.’’
The school was now ‘‘focused on further strengthening its position and focusing on the important matters of teaching and learning’’, Smith said.
CHAMBER MUSIC WIN
Lower Hutt’s Liam Furey, 18, has won a senior composition prize in the Chamber Music national finals with his Piano Trio No 1 in G minor. Adjudicator Alex Taylor said Furey’s piano trio offered hints of Prokofiev, Debussy or Scriabin and strong dramatic tension was created in the first movement.
COLONOSCOPY TIMES
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says more people than ever before are receiving timely colonoscopies ahead of a national bowel screening programme. ’’Hutt Valley and Wairarapa DHBs, selected as the first to roll-out bowel screening services as part of a national programme, delivered 100 per cent of urgent colonoscopies within the target of 14 days,’’ Coleman said. The Government has invested $15 million to reduce waiting times. (Editorial, page 15).
ENROL TO VOTE
More than 135,000 people have updated their enrolment details since the start of the Electoral Commission’s enrolment update campaign. But tens of thousands of New Zealanders will still miss out on the chance to vote in this year’s local body elections unless they re-enrol soon. The commission mailed 3.1 million enrolment update packs to ensure voters were correctly enrolled. About 20,000 packs bounced back. Chief electoral officer Robert Peden said those whose packs bounced back wouldn’t be able to vote unless they re-enroled by August 12.