Obsessed with money, Helen Milner stole from the company she worked for, borrowed more than $30,000 and blamed it all on her husband, a court has heard.
In evidence given at the Christchurch High Court this afternoon, forensic accountant Sandra James says Milner was living outside her means.
The Crown alleges the 50-year-old killed her husband of four-and-a-half-years, Phillip Nisbet, for a $250,000 life insurance payout.
Ms James told the court Milner spent almost $100,000 between April 1, 2008 to April 30, 2009.
Her salary was $46,000 and the excess spending, which included the purchase of two cars along with general household expenses, forced her to top up her mortgage by $32,000.
The court also heard Milner had been convicted of theft as a servant, while working as an office manager at Christchurch-based grounds firm GSL.
The stolen sum of $28,948 wasn't included in the official accounting evaluation and would have eased her living costs, Ms James said.
On the contrary, Mr Nisbet was spending within his means. The 47-year-old lost around $3000 over the same timeframe and was making regular payments to the IRD for a tax debt.
A number of witnesses have given evidence that Milner would "constantly" complain about money in the lead up to her husband's death, always blaming him for excessive spending.
She used it as a justification when discussing murder plots with her son and others at her work, the court heard. Witnesses say he had a huge tax debt and Milner was worried she would lose half of her Christchurch house in a divorce.
The court also heard Milner received around $61,000 in ACC benefits after Mr Nisbet's death. In total, she stood to make almost $500,000 from the alleged killing – including around $275,000 across two life insurance policies, the $60,000 ACC benefits and around $150,000 from the sale of her home.
However, Milner is yet to see any of the money as the payout has been put on hold, pending the result of the trial.
Around 60 witnesses have given evidence over the past eight days. The Crown hopes to wrap its case tomorrow.
3 News
source: newshub archive
