Women’s Refuge justice system
So in how many of these cases is sentencing determined by what Women’s Refuge have to say.
Women’s Refuge chief executive Heather Henare said the case had brought the organisation into disrepute but it was not the sentence or reparation figure they were concerned with. “What we want to achieve is for Kathy to get the help she needs so she’s no longer a risk to the community,” she said.
A Whangarei woman who stole more than $123,000 in taxpayers’ money over 15 years.
Her lawyer, Kelly Johnson, initially asked Judge Greg Davis to adjourn sentencing so Ms Apetera could arrange for someone to look after her children if she was sent to jail. Mr Johnson later submitted a letter of support from the Women’s Refuge and asked for a sentence of home detention to be imposed.
