Fraudster fails name secrecy bid

A Bay woman who admitted $5095 worth of fraud offences in relation to her pocketing money from holiday home bookings has lost her bid to keep her identity a secret.

Kathryn Aileen Coyle, 51, who pleaded guilty to eight charges of obtains by deception in Tauranga District Court this week, was arrested and charged in June.

Last week, she sought interim name suppression on the basis it may jeopardise her employment if publication of her name was allowed.

But police successfully argued before Community Magistrate Sherida Cooper this week that there was no grounds for name suppression to continue.

The summary of facts says Coyle was acting as a booking agent for a family trust, renting out holiday baches in Pukehina and Napier, being paid on a commission basis.

Booking inquiries were made via a website address, email or by phone contact and Coyle was instructed to deposit the booking funds directly into the family trust's account.

Once received she would be then be paid her commission and be reimbursed for any other agreed costs incurred in the day-to-day running and cleaning of the holiday premises.

But Coyle instructed the people making bookings to deposit the money directly into her own bank account, and told the victim that the premises had not been rented out.

On eight occasions between December 3, 2009 and October 18, 2010 Coyle received rent from eight customers who made bookings and pocketed the money.

When one customer cancelled his booking due to a family illness and sought a refund of $450, Coyle failed to reimburse the money.

Coyle pocketed $5095, but the principal victim advised police that on the nights the holiday homes were rented out he should have received $12,250.

Coyle had previously appeared before the court on other fraud matters relating to the same victim and properties.

In June last year, Coyle avoided jail after she admitted pocketing more than $13,000.

On that occasion some victims who booked the holiday homes were given various excuses by her as to why the property they had rented had become unavailable and she failed to make refunds.

When one of her victims, who she owed $760 persistently called Coyle, she faked her own death by sending him a text in which she pretended to be her mother, informing him she had died from complications after a serious road crash.

Coyle is due to be sentenced on August 1.