They opted to take a taxi rather than make the 450m stroll down George St. The court heard the phone was worth $1249, while cleaning out the taxi cost $250.The soilage fee surprised Judge Phillips. Defence counsel Val Farrow said the incident came during a period of intense personal anguish for her client. However, she stressed Rowland had the support of her colleagues at Wakari hospital, one of whom was in court to support her. The judge convicted Rowland and ordered her to pay the reparation before she left court.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 14, 2018 16:52 UTC