By Ellen Thompson, Open Justice reporter of 
A former private investigator has been denied a discharge without conviction for her involvement in the Trelise Cooper robbery.
Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
In February, jurors found Kathy Stephens guilty of receiving stolen goods valued at $1000 after fashion designer Dame Trelise Cooper's store was burgled.
Stephens, who described herself as gullible, claimed that a conviction would mean she could lose her licence as a private investigator.
This morning Stephens appeared in the Auckland District Court before Judge Nevin Dawson.
Her lawyer Natasha Murden said that stolen goods were a very small portion compared to the overall value originally stolen.
"She is remorseful for her offending and has even offered to donate money to a charity to show this."
Murden said the Crown's starting point was a little higher than it should be.
"I would submit community work would be an appropriate end sentence."
Judge Dawson replied saying the value of money was well over $1000, nearing $10,000.
"How do you get 18 months' imprisonment down to community work?" he asked.
Crown prosecutor Hayley Botha opposed a discharge without conviction saying Stephens' actions should result in the necessary punishment.
"One of the goods had a price tag of $499 and there were three of these items found on her property," Botha said.
"The value is well over $1000."
One month after the heist, police executed a search warrant at Stephens' Onehunga home recovering 18 stolen clothing items valued at about $12,200.
At Stephen's trial in February, she told the court that she had no idea Cooper's office had been burgled and she didn't know the items at her house were stolen until her arrest.
She then insisted to have not followed Cooper's clothing in years.
"I thought her brand was more for middle-aged women," she said. "I didn't really have much of a motivation of wanting to go buy from her."
Prosecutors, however, pointed out that Stephens already owned Trelise Cooper, Louis Vuitton and Gucci-branded clothing and accessories, and that she worked with fashion labels during her previous career as a cake maker. Her cake business was called
Vanilla Coco, which Stephens testified "could" be a reference to designer Coco Chanel.
Her background and experience with fashion would have made it "implausible and fanciful" to suggest she had no clue the clothes were stolen, the Crown argued.
Earlier in May, Andrea Edwards who was found with nearly $137,000 worth of stolen was also declined an application for discharge without conviction.
Edwards is set to appear on 8 June for her sentencing.
Judge Dawson declined the application for discharge without conviction ordering Stephens' sentencing to be adjourned to another date.
Stephens will appear on 5 August for sentencing.
* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.
