The Star: August 20, 2020

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The Star Thursday August 20 2020 4 NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Former TV presenter guilty of Trade • By Kurt Bayer A FORMER Australian TV presenter has been found guilty of inventing a “cruel lie” around a dying child to con Trade Me buyers out of $35,000. Simone Anne Wright, who also used the last names Williams and Smith, will be sentenced in the Christchurch District Court tomorrow. She was found guilty in the district court yesterday on all seven charges of obtaining by deception after a judge-alone trial. She was remanded in custody. She had denied making up stories of a terminally ill son being cared for at Auckland’s Starship Hospital to sell motorcycles, a spa bath and other items worth thousands of dollars on Trade Me. The court heard how advertisements surfaced on Trade Me back in 2008 for a Kawasaki motor-cycle which read: “Our son has cancer and can no longer ride his pride and joy.” The Crown alleged the sick child was fictitious and made up to “engender trust and sympathy.” Wright said she had nothing FAKE TRADES: Simone Wright and ex-husband Paul Bennett. to do with the fake trades – and blamed former husband Paul James Bennett who last month was jailed for more than three years after admitting a series of frauds worth $580,000. She claimed he controlled everything. In finding her guilty, Judge Paul Kellar said it “strains credibility to breaking point” that Wright did not know what was going on. In her evidence on Monday, Wright told how Bennett – who she married in Sydney in 2002 – used to tell “spectacular” stories, claiming he’d once been kidnapped at gunpoint in Hollywood star Russell Crowe’s helicopter by an Australian criminal organisation. One “big story” was how he had lived in South Africa and worked for the CIA as a helicopter pilot and that he’d been “a witness to all sorts of things.” “He even bought a nuclear weapon into the story,” she said, along with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s son Sir Mark. When they met, Bennett allegedly told her to sell her house and car, and that she didn’t need to work anymore. “Eventually, everything was gone. Right down to a small suitcase of clothes,” she said. “I lost everything… he lied to me our whole relationship. He’s an expert liar.” They snuck into New Zealand in 2005, sailing across the Tasman Sea from Australia on a yacht and avoiding immigration officials. Wright claimed they did so because Bennett “feared for his life” and was running from the organised crime syndicate. The court heard that in May 2008 they were living in Napier when Wright set up two Trade Me accounts and two bank accounts. On May 27, 2008, a used plug-in spa was listed for sale with its listing saying it was needed to “help pay family medical bills.” A Dunedin woman won the auction and paid $4065 for the spa. In an exchange of emails around getting the spa delivered, the seller said they were at Starship Hospital with a son on life support. The buyer offered her best wishes but the spa was never received – and she never heard from the seller again. NEW SUMMER COLLECTION OUT NOW! including womenswear, kidswear, homeware, gifting, menswear and more 50% OFF Exclusive offer * EVERYTHING INSTORE OR CALL 0508 500 500 Use code EZISTAR ENDS MONDAY 24 AUGUST *TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 50% off the original price of full priced styles, valid until 5.30pm, Monday 24 August, or while stock lasts. The promotion code EZISTAR must be used at the time of purchase to activate the 50% discount. All sizes and colours may not be available. Offer excludes Beauty, Next, Cuisinart, Adidas, Brand Partner, By Fairfax & Roberts Jewellery, gift cards and top ups, Breast Cancer Cure merchandise, personalised gifts and extra costs associated with delivery of gift cards, personalised gifts, large/ oversized delivery items and international orders. Offer valid at the Christchurch EziBuy store and via call centre and excludes orders placed online or via fax, email and mail order. For large or oversized items, our standard delivery surcharge will still apply. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion, or be applied to previously processed orders. Our standard returns policy applies to full priced and sale styles. Outlet styles are not able to be returned or exchanged unless they are faulty (look for items with the yellow ‘outlet’ tag). Should you not wish to keep your Outlet purchase, we recommend you gift to a friend or donate to your favourite charity. If the garment is faulty, EziBuy will meet its obligations under the Consumer Guarantees Act. Christchurch Tower Junction Mega Centre, Clarence Street, Addington. Call toll free 0508 500 500
Me frauds Another exchange involved a silage wagon and Suzuki quad bike selling for $16,500. When the items didn’t arrive, the buyer phoned and spoke with a male who said they were at Starship with a nephew who had brain cancer. A Kawasaki motor-cycle was sold three times, with stories around a sick son. One witnesses told how after buying the bike for $2650 he had a phone conversation with a woman called “Susan” and sympathised with her tale of a sick son with a brain tumour. “As a father with a son the same age you get sucked along. It was a good game,” the witness said. They soon had concerns of a con and when they tried phoning back, got no answer. They never got their money back. Asked by defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger if the “woman” the witness spoke to on the phone could’ve been a man putting on a woman’s voice, he laughed. “Not a chance,” he said, adding that the woman had a slight accent and might’ve been English. Kellar ruled that to be a key piece of evidence, finding the witness to be credible, and concluding it would’ve been “simply implausible” for Bennett to have put on a woman’s voice. Both Wright and Bennett were arrested as the pair sailed into Sydney Harbour after crossing the Tasman Sea from Northland on a crippled yacht in February 2015. Wright was extradited from Australia to New Zealand in November 2018. – NZ Herald GUILTY: Wright will be sentenced tomorrow. Bennett is in jail after admitting to fraud. Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz KIWIS ARE starting to spend up large again on do-it-yourself items as they prepare to spend more time at home. Sales, which increased during the lockdown are starting to increase again due to the resurgence of Covid-19 in Auckland. Mitre 10 say sales trends since Auckland was put into level 3 and the rest of the country into level 2 earlier this month have been similar to those during the alert level 4 lockdown in March. “Anything related to the garden, painting and PPE products have all seen significant demand, while all other categories continue to sell well,” Mitre 10 solutions general manager Chris Peak told Stuff yesterday. Demand for power tools, plants and paint has spiked. PPE-related items such as elastic and fabric for masks have also proved to be in high demand due to the resurgence of Covid- 19in Auckland. A survey of 616 New Zealanders in April that found 71 per cent of respondents had at least one unfinished DIY job at home, and 70 per cent were tackling a DIY job each month. Fitness equipment, too, is high on the list for shoppers. Rebel Sport said treadmills, Thursday August 20 2020 The Star NEWS 5 Hardware selling fast to do-it-yourself Kiwis DEMAND: Power tools are high on the shopping list for do-it-yourselfers visiting Mitre 10 Mega at Hornby. exercise bikes and weights were selling out almost as soon as they were re-stocked. BARGAIN’S PRICE SMASH OUR BIGGEST EVER SALE IS NOW ON! Visit your nearest store today! NZ BRAND 48 TABLETS NZ BRAND **GO Healthy GO Fish Oil 1500mg Odourless 150 Capsules Go Healthy, Wellington $ 699 Why pay RRP $19.90 *Codral PE Day & Night Cold & Flu 48 Tablets $ 1599 May cause drowsiness. Avoid alcohol and driving. Johnson & Johnson (NZ) Limited **Lipo-Shell Vitamin C Lipo-Sachet 30 Pack AFT Pharmaceuticals, Auckland $ 3199 Why pay RRP $58.40 Wild Ferns Manuka Honey Revitalising Shower Gel 230ml Parrs Products Ltd, New Zealand $ 399 Why pay RRP $18.30 OPI $ 2 Nail Polish 15ml 20 FOR Varieties *Your pharmacist will advise you whether this preparation is suitable for your condition. The pharmacist reserves the right not to supply when contrary to our professional and ethical obligation. **Vitamins and minerals are supplementary to and not a replacement for a balanced diet. Always read the label, use only as directed. If symptoms persist, see your healthcare professional. Weight management products should be used with a balanced diet and exercise. We reserve the right to correct printing errors. Save price or discount based on recommended retailer price (RRP) at time of production. Where no RRP is supplied, RRP is based on what is found at competing New Zealand retailers. Offers valid from 11th August 2020 through till 30th August 2020. TAPS Approved: PP6320
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The Star: August 20, 2020

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