Forged vouchers damage charity

A drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Blenheim is concerned about its ability to raise money after a committee member forged vouchers for their charity dinner last year.

A victim impact statement from the St Mark's Society was read in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.

Judge Jill Moss said the society was a "vulnerable charity" which was the victim of promises 38-year-old Blenheim man Brendon Paul Hurring could not keep.

Hurring admitted three charges of making a false document and was sentenced yesterday to 12 months' intensive supervision and a suspended sentence for nine months.

At a previous appearance, police prosecutor Sergeant Graham Single said that Hurring made an Air NZ travel voucher, a whale watch voucher and a hotel voucher to auction at the charity's fundraising dinner on September 17.

He also promised that former All Black Jonah Lomu and actress Robyn Malcolm would be guest speakers.

Hurring set up fake email addresses for Mr Lomu and Ms Malcolm and sent correspondence to committee members pretending to be the celebrities, Mr Single said.

Defence counsel John Holdaway said Hurring did not gain anything from making the vouchers other than the "accolades of the committee and a feeling he made a major contribution to a good cause".

Hurring wanted St Mark's to have a successful dinner so "they could have the resources Marlborough needs", he said.

Hurring got carried away with making promises and did not check the availability of the guest speakers. Hurring hoped he had not made fundraising harder for the charity and all parties had been reimbursed, he said.

St Mark's was a cause Hurring had been passionate about, but was now ostracised by the committee, Mr Holdaway said.

Judge Moss said crimes involving the breach of trust were worse than other crimes.

She told Mr Holdaway to make sure Hurring read the victim impact statement.

After reading part of the statement, she said "fundraising in Blenheim must be hard because it's not a very wealthy area".

"You've done a great deal of harm to them."

Hurring was about to start at an alcohol and drug treatment centre, which pleased Judge Moss.

"I'm pleased someone is saying you need treatment, but it's your choice to take it," she said.


- The Marlborough Express Last updated 12:00 22/02/2011