Woman sells car loaned to her by a friend

A woman who was loaned a car from a friend changed the ownership to hers, and then sold it for $450.

Charlotte Lee Nicholas-Davis, who is about two months from having her third child, appeared in the Nelson District Court on Monday where she was sentenced to 40 hours of community work for what the judge said was “an unusual set of circumstances”.

“It seems that when a friend was kind to you, you took significant liberties, and not only did you not return the car, you sold it,” Judge Jo Rielly said.

Nicholas-Davis admitted a charge of theft of a motor vehicle, which her lawyer Ian Miller said amounted to theft by conversion.

In December last year, the owner agreed to lend her his car for three weeks, but by February when the vehicle had not been returned, the owner and his partner asked for it back.

Nicholas-Davis told them she had no intention of giving it back.

She then changed the ownership online, so that she was listed as the vehicle’s owner, and arranged to sell it.

That same week the $1500 vehicle was sold for $450.

Judge Rielly noted there had been flow-on effects for the victim, who had been left “significantly out of pocket” and missed a flight through not having the car.

In sentencing Nicholas-Davis to community work, she also ordered her to pay reparation of $1813 to reflect the value of the vehicle and the loss incurred through the owner having missed the flight.

“This was significant offending behaviour and there was a breach of trust involved,” Judge Rielly said. She said Nicholas-Davis had also “dragged the matter out” for many months which had also been upsetting for the victim.