Woman With Stressful Job Glad She Doesn’t Have To Attend Sentencing For Repeated Retail Theft

woman at laptop thinking about golriz gharaman

ROSEMARY ABBOTT | National

MEETINGS NOT COURT HEARINGS

Emily Larson, a high-level executive at a finance firm in Wellington’s CBD, finds solace in the fact that her daily grind keeps her far away from the legal troubles recently faced by former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman.

“I mean, sure, I’ve had my fair share of bad days,” 

“Like that time I had to explain to the board why our projections were off by 5%. But at least I’m not standing in front of a judge, explaining why I walked out of a store with $8000 worth of clothes I hadn’t paid for, while hardworking Kiwis are doing their best to get ahead in life.”

Larson’s appreciation for her job reached new heights after Ghahraman’s high-profile court case hit the news. Ghahraman, who admitted to stealing $8367 worth of clothing from three different stores in Auckland and Wellington, pleaded guilty to all charges in March. Her sentencing, which took place at the Auckland District Court today, has had the final sentencing outcome reserved by the judge until later in the week.

“I mean, I used to complain about the stress of my job,” Larson said, chuckling as she took a sip of her fourth coffee of the day.

“Back-to-back meetings, endless deadlines, and the occasional office drama – it all seemed unbearable at times. But then I heard about Golriz’s situation, and suddenly, my spreadsheets and conference calls don’t seem so bad,” she laughed, genuinely happy she isn’t fronting the New Zealand court of law and being charged as a common thief.

“I might just have that second glass of wine tonight,” Larson concluded, acknowledging she’d take a thousand stressful work days over one day in court any time.

More to come. 

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