Runaway millionairess found guilty

NZ Newswire Updated May 18, 2012, 2:49 pm

A jury has found a "runaway millionairess" guilty of all the 30 charges she faced after a bank blunder deposited $10 million in her partner's bank account.

After deliberating for an hour the jury found the 33-year-old guilty of 25 theft charges, three of using a bank card for pecuniary advantage and two of money laundering after a trial at the Rotorua District Court this week.

When the verdicts were announced Hurring was visibly shaken.

Outside the court her lawyer Simon Lance said Hurring was obviously disappointed the verdicts had not gone her way, in particular those relating to money laundering in Macau.

However, she was happy she did not have to stand trial on the more serious charges which she had originally faced after her arrest because these had since been dismissed.

Mr Lance said not a cent of Westpac money had gone into Hurring's account.

Crown prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch described the trial as pretty unique.

Hurring had told police her partner, Hui (Leo) Gao, said he had won Lotto when the money arrived in his Westpac account.

Gao fled the country, and Hurring followed him to Hong Kong with her daughter four days later.

Hurring returned to New Zealand last year.

The charges relate to the spending of money put in Gao's account after a blunder by Westpac.

The prosecution said Hurring knew where the money came from but she said the first she knew of it was when she saw a story on television in China.

She was remanded on bail for sentencing on August 24.

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