By Emma Brannam and 3 News online staff
She was the runaway redhead from Roturua, who police say fled the country with her boyfriend and bank accounts full of someone else’s money.
The story of Kara Hurring, 33, and her then-boyfriend Leo Gao reads like a film script.
In 2009, Gao, the owner of a BP service station, applied to Westpac for a $100,000 overdraft; instead he was mistakenly given $10 million.
The Crown today alleged that Gao, upon learning of the bank error, exclaimed to Hurring: “I’m f**king rich, I have $10 million.”
According to prosecutors, Gao learned of the error on April 24, 2009, when his flatmate asked him for rent money.
Police allege that Gao then transferred $6.8 million into other accounts and fled to Hong Kong.
Hurring and her daughter followed a few days later, after applying for an emergency passport.
An anonymous caller in China allegedly called Westpac to alert them to the $10 million slip-up, but the two were already on the run.
Twenty-two months later Hurring came home and this morning in the Rotorua District Court she has denied 30 charges of theft, fraud and international money laundering.
They were traced when, in January last year, the couple had a son together and Hurring applied for the baby’s passport, says the Crown.
Theft and money laundering charges originally laid against her have been dropped and replaced by charges of international money laundering to the value of over $230,000 relating to activities in Macau.
Crown prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch told the court today Hurring had attempted to withdraw from an ASB account holding some of the transferred money, but had exceeded the withdraw limit.
Mr Pilditch also described the “front money” account used at a Macau casino, leading to the charges of money laundering.
The Crown is set to call 18 witnesses at Hurring's trial, which is due to last about a week.
The jury consists of four women and eight men.
A trial date for Gao has not yet been made.
And as for the missing millions originally taken by Gao - only some has been returned with an estimated $3.7 million remaining unaccounted for.
3 News
source: newshub archive
