Prostitute's 'broken nails' prevented work

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A prostitute has been jailed for 21 days after complaining of breaking her nails at community work and failing to carrying out voluntary work at a Wanganui primary school.

Tala Jepsen, 19, was appearing in the New Plymouth District Court yesterday for re-sentencing after pleading guilty to two breaches of community work.

The court heard she had failed to carry out both the voluntary work she agreed to do and the 60 hours of community work it was replaced with.

The sentences were for stealing cheques from a man's chequebook last year.

On Thursday, her lawyer, Julian Hannam, asked if his client could have the community work sentence replaced with either home detention or community detention.

Judge Allan Roberts declined both submissions. "How can I trust her?" he asked.

Jepsen had gone through a restorative justice process in October 2009 in Wanganui, the judge said.

It was arranged that she carry out voluntary work at a school. She attended the interview, said she would start the next week – and disappeared.

The failure to carry out court orders was an all too familiar pattern. She had used excuses such as illness and damaging her fingernails for not attending community work, Judge Roberts said.

Jepsen was sent to jail for 21 days and her outstanding fines of $1820 were remitted.

- © Fairfax NZ News