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In August 2019, former police officer Shaun Keenan was jailed for three years and eight months for stealing $486,000 from his hapū. (File photo)
A former Taranaki cop who fleeced nearly half a million dollars from his hapū of Ngāti Te Whiti has lost his second bid to bring an appeal against his jail sentence. Shaun Joseph Keenan was imprisoned for three years and eight months in New Plymouth District Court on August 20, 2019, after stealing $486,045.71 from Ngāti Te Whiti Whenua Tōpū Trust during the five years he was employed as the organisation s chief executive officer. From 2014 he had full access to the trust bank accounts and the ability to authorise payments, but by the end of 2016 there was no money to pay the salaries of employees and honorariums of the trustees and his contract was terminated.
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The victim went to the address but the deal went sour and the $1600 was taken from him, he was threatened, and left with neither drugs nor money. Some time afterwards, Moke located the victim at another address and the victim tried to explain where the money went, but was told he was a “liar”. Moke then called her partner, Joseph Reily Grace, a patched member of the Uru Taha gang, and handed the cellphone to the victim, whereupon Grace told the victim to stay quiet and stay where he was. A short time later, Grace arrived at the address with a long wooden stick which had a knife blade attached to the end.