A decision in the sentencing of former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, who pleaded guilty to four shoplifting charges earlier this year, has now been reserved until Thursday.
The 43-year-old arrived at Auckland District Court on Monday afternoon for her sentencing hearing, three months after she admitted to four charges relating to the theft of thousands of dollars' worth of clothing during her first court appearance in March.
The former human rights lawyer resigned as an MP in January.
The former politician was charged with stealing $695 worth of clothing from Wellington's Cre8iveworx Store on October 22, 2023 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.
Ghahraman will now be sentenced in the district court at 1pm on Thursday.
A supporter of the former MP spoke to Newshub outside of the court as Ghahraman arrived shortly after 2pm.
"I think it's a mental health issue that makes people do strange things, they're under a lot of pressure," he said.
"Obviously she needs to be reprimanded for what happened... so community service, which is very much what she's been doing anyway. A lot of community service, in fact.
"I'm just here to support [her], to show that people haven't forgotten about her."
Her ex-partner, comedian and television personality Guy Williams, was among a crew of supporters accompanying her into the courtroom.
The sentencing hearing began with defence lawyer Annabel Cresswell telling Judge June Jelas that a mental health report about Ghahraman had found a "clear diagnosis of complex PTSD"; the key contributing factors being her early experiences in war-torn Iran and "public vitriol, threats and abuse" during her political career.
The "threats of rape and death were constant and ongoing and credible", Cresswell said, describing Ghahraman's offending as "loss-reactive shoplifting".
She said "loss-reactive shoplifting" occurs when otherwise law-abiding individuals steal amid a "mental health crisis".
"This offending was extraordinarily out of character," Cresswell added.
"All of this offending is this person breaking under extreme mental stress... This was not something that was in any way done for fun or a thrill."
Ghahraman and Cresswell are seeking a discharge without conviction. At the start of the hearing, Judge Jelas said she wouldn't be imposing a custodial sentence, adding that "no one could reasonably suggest an outcome of imprisonment" for a first-time offender.
Crown Solicitor Alysha McClintock described the offending as "a spree" that indicated pre-meditation, adding: "It's not a one-off event. It's not a 'moment of madness-type case'."
In a statement earlier this year, Ghahraman said stress relating to her work had led her 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.
