Bank thiefs partner arrested on return to NZ...

Bank thief's partner arrested on return to New Zealand...


Westpac - Making the most of life.

A Kara Hurring who allegedly left New Zealand with her Chinese partner when Westpac mistakenly put $10 million into his account in 2009 has been arrested at Auckland International Airport.

Kara Hurring was arrested by Rotorua police her arrival this morning and has since appeared in Manukau District Court.

Hurring was bailed to an Auckland address and will appear in Rotorua District Court on March 10.

Police say Hurring's partner Leo Gao had a $10 million overdraft facility mistakenly loaded into his business account in April 2009. Gao had asked for a $100,000 overdraft to shore up his ailing service station business in Rotorua.

They transferred $6.78 million into other accounts and then left for Hong Kong, Gao on April 29 and Hurring on May 3. The error was discovered on May 5.

About half the money was recovered, but $3,872,000 was still outstanding, police said.

Police investigation head detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper said today the investigation remained active over the past 20 months.

"While she has returned to New Zealand voluntarily - and she should be commended for having done so -
her move has been prompted by police activity," Mr Loper said.

"Obviously this is an extremely positive development in the case, however, the investigation is by no means over. Our focus remains on eventually being able to speak to Leo Gao on this matter."

It was reported last year that Hurring and Gao had separated soon after they arrived in China, and Gao left her with little money.

Mr Loper said the investigation has been complex due to its trans-national nature.

"New Zealand police have been working with law enforcement authorities in Hong Kong and mainland China throughout, and we will continue to do so.

"We are appreciative of the support they have given to the investigation within the constraint of their own laws and we continue to have regular interactions as the investigation progresses," he said.

"At the same time, we have been working with many of New Zealand's different Government agencies on the investigation and we are grateful for their support to date. We will continue to work with them in the future."

Among the difficulties has been the fact that New Zealand has no extradition treaty with China.

In October last year, the Herald on Sunday reported a banking source close to the investigation saying that Hurring had been seeking a way to safely return to New Zealand "for some time". However, police "weren't prepared to do a deal"and Hurring will face the reality of returning to criminal charges.

The paper reported that returning had been forced upon Kara because she was unable to lean on Gao for support. The couple separated shortly after arriving in China through Hong Kong and Macau.

Acknowledgements: - NZPA, NZ Herald staff

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Parents nightmare - two year old Auckland toddler now missing for five days...

Police hunting for missing toddler Aisling Symes have not ruled out she could have been stolen to order.

Nothing has been seen of the bright and bubbly two-year-old since Monday night when she was last seen with an Asian woman who was holding a dog on a lead.

Aisling's disappearance from her deceased grandparents' Longburn Rd home in Henderson has sparked one of the biggest police hunts for years.

But after three days of searching police have found no sign of the toddler and investigation head Inspector Gary Davey said today it was looking increasingly likely she had been kidnapped.

He could not rule out that she may have been stolen to order.

"That is a possibility. What I am trying to do is to convince the public to keep an open mind."

He said if she was taken to order it would be a very, very rare occurrence.

"We don't have any evidence to suggest any scenario. Some are more likely than others.

"For example abduction is more likely than her wandering off, given the thoroughness of our search."

It was also a possibility she had been a hit-and-run victim where the driver had panicked and taken her away.

Mr Davey said search and rescue experts believed after studying the creek near her family's house, the rainfall, and the water flows, it was "highly unlikely" she would have been swept down the creek before the police began their intense search of the area.

He said the mystery Asian woman seen with Aisling about 5.30pm on Monday had still to be identified and there was still a possibility she had no idea of the search or the grief of the parents, Alan and Angela Symes.

Davey said at a press conference yesterday that despite a comprehensive search of the area: "We cannot locate Aisling."

Sitting alongside the parents, he made a direct appeal to anyone who might have snatched Aisling.

"Police are still hopeful that she is alive and being cared for and I'm talking to that person ... I just would like to say to whomever may have Aisling out there, the sole focus of the police at the moment is to have Aisling returned safely ... We hope that you come forward and leave her in a safe place so that she can be found."

Mr Davey said officers were also continuing to profile "people of concern" in the area. More police were joining the inquiry to work on this.

Police had also received 111 calls of sightings of Asian women with babies, after police appeals to the woman in her 30s who was walking her dog when she spoke to Aisling in Longburn Rd.

As police struggle for leads, fear of more snatches is beginning to haunt other parents.

"It will have a tremendous impact ... everything you do now you will be holding on to your children tightly," said the head of the local community board, Elizabeth Grimmer, a grandmother of two. "Children just aren't going to be able to run freely and us feel safe ..."

Ad Feedback In the parents' first public appeal, Mr Symes, a former search and rescue worker and security guard, described the past four days as "the most harrowing of our lives" and said the couple had not slept.

He read from a prepared statement, pausing midway to compose himself, while his wife buried her head in his shoulder.

"We feel like we're barely existing, surviving every moment not knowing where Aisling is," he said. "Is she near us or has she been moved far away? Is she being treated well, things like has her nappy been changed ... these thoughts churn through us as we huddle close as a family and we try to wait to find out if there is anything."

As the couple left the briefing room, police hurriedly shut the door as Mrs Symes broke into wracking sobs.

A child psychology expert said Aisling would now be distressed if she had been abducted.

Canterbury University associate professor Lianne Woodward, said: "She could be very unsettled and irritated, her sleep might not be very good, there might be some crying."

The effects of such a trauma would depend on how long it took for her to be returned, she said. "If she's reunited with her parents soon, there's much less concern. But if it goes on, or there's been abuse, then the concern grows."

An abductor could care for Aisling by doing "the basics" – feeding and cleaning her – but she needed her parents for her emotional wellbeing.

A families commissioner, Christine Rankin, said parents needed to take extra care.

"Until we know if someone is out there that is a danger, absolutely, the more vigilant they are the better. I don't think there's any room to be casual about this at all."

But Waitemata police communications manager Kevin Loughlin said: "There is no additional reason for parents to be concerned with their children at this time.

"We are dealing with a missing persons inquiry. We haven't even identified any individual or person or factors around that."

Prime Minister John Key urged anyone with information to come forward. "Our hearts go out to the family, we are very concerned about her welfare and we hope for a speedy and successful return of the little girl."

Acknowledgements: The Dominion Post with NZPA

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