Former Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman gets $1600 fine for ...
Former Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman has been fined $1600 at the Auckland District Court on Thursday after earlier this year admitting to shoplifting.
Judge June Jelas declined the defence's application to have no conviction entered against Ghahraman's name.
The 43-year-old, who entered Parliament in 2017, was charged by the police following multiple incidents of shoplifting late last year.
"It is clear to me that my mental health is being badly affected by the stresses relating to my work," Ghahraman said in a statement following her resignation from Parliament when the allegations first emerged. "This has led me to act in ways that are completely out of character.
"The mental health professional I see says my recent behaviour is consistent with recent events giving rise to extreme stress response, and relating to previously unrecognised trauma," she said at the time.
Gharahman refused to answer questions on her way into court on Thursday. She was accompanied by several people including comedian Guy Williams, her former partner.
Speaking to Stuff on Wednesday, Ghahraman denied "playing the mental health card" regarding her behaviour.
She said she resigned and took responsibility for her actions straight away.
Ghahraman, a former human rights lawyer, was charged with stealing $695 worth of clothing from Wellington's Cre8iveworx Store on October 22 and a navy cardigan valued at $389 from Standard Issue in Newmarket on December 22.
She was also charged with two counts of shoplifting from Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby: $5773 worth of items on December 21 and $2060 worth of goods on December 23.
Scotties declined to comment on Ghahraman's sentence when contacted on Thursday.
Judge Jelas on Thursday said she accepted Ghahraman was deeply remorseful for her actions.
"There are many other punitive consequences that Ms Ghahraman has already suffered that I also acknowledge and take into account," Judge Jelas told the court.
"She has suffered the loss of employment, income and significant adverse effects on her mental health.
"I have carefully considered whether or not a conviction of itself would be a sufficient punitive response. However, I have concluded that there should be some additional penalty."
On the two charges relating to the shoplifting of products valued at more than $1000, Ghahraman was fined $500 on each count. She was fined $300 for each of the remaining two charges.
That brought the total fine to $1600. She was also ordered to pay court costs of $260.
Newshub.
