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Jan-Marie Quinn is running in this year’s general election for the New Conservative Party in the Taupō electorate.
The hairdresser, formerly known as Jan-Marie McLean, was convicted in Invercargill District Court nearly 20 years ago after she fabricated documents about the fictitious birth of a child.
After initially denying that it was the same person, the aspiring politician confirmed today that she was convicted of the fraud under a different married name.
“Yes, it used to be Jan-Marie McLean. That was my first married name,” she confirmed.
Quinn described it as a “bad time” in her life after experiencing a miscarriage and said:
“It was a horrible mistake I made and I am very sorry.”
New Conservative leader Leighton Baker supports Quinn, said she had disclosed the offense.
A report published in the Sdry land times In 2000, it revealed that the 36-year-old student was sentenced to six months in periodic detention after lying in an affidavit, falsifying an obstetric discharge record, and delivering a forged letter to her attorney as proof that a baby had been born.
She had miscarried early in a pregnancy, but after her relationship with her partner soured, she decided to continue the charade by faking a letter from Southern Health showing that she had given birth and even taking pictures of another baby to support their lies.
Judge Phil Moran described the fraud case as a set of “strange circumstances.”
“Such was her bitterness over her breakup of the relationship that, after she miscarried, she was determined to continue on the pretext that she actually carried a baby to term and gave birth,” the judge said.
“You went so far as to seek paternity and custody orders to file a Family Court application supported by an affidavit in which you told lies. This is a crime of perjury.”
The judge said that he not only lied under oath, but also participated in the creation of documentary evidence to support his lie.
The charges had affected the same administration of justice, he said when passing sentence.
Today Quinn said it was a traumatic period in her life, but she couldn’t change it.
She always knew it was something that could resurface at any moment, but had been frank about the conviction with her party leadership.
“It was something I don’t deny,” Quinn said.
“I knew it was there and I declared it from the beginning of the party.
“And yes, I knew that I could possibly lift my head.”
She added through tears that there was “a lot of history wrapped up around what I did.”
“I fully appreciate that it was something from my past and I can’t change that.”
It represented a dark time for her sanity, but Quinn hoped this might represent an opportunity to focus on an issue that affected so many women.
“I really hope there can be more funding for mental health problems,” he said. “And I really hope no one has to go through the trauma I went through when I lost a child. That’s the catalyst I did it for.”
Baker today endorsed his candidate Taupō, saying that Quinn had declared conviction when he appeared.
While admitting she knew nothing about the details of the case, highlighting an incident from 20 years ago sounded like a scandal.
“We want people to stand up, and it is good that they have the courage to stand up, but it is a shame when they are attacked for putting their heads above the parapet,” he said.
“I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t made a mistake.
“She did the crime. We have no problem with that.
“We are a party that believes that if you commit crime, do your time and then continue to make a positive contribution to society,” Baker said.
“Quinn has certainly done that. There was no money involved in her mistake and no one else was harmed. She did her six months of community service and has contributed magnificently to her community. She deserves a fair chance.”
He added that it was not something that she had continued to do and this revelation seemed to be motivated by someone with a vengeful agenda.
“For me it is a kind of witch hunt to trace someone’s past and take something from 20 years ago.”
A spokesman for the Election Commission said that to be eligible to run, you must be a New Zealand citizen and registered to vote. A prior conviction did not disqualify him from appearing.
According to her online biography, Quinn was an adopted girl who was born in Invercargill and attended Central Southland College in Winton.
He lived in Invercargill for much of his adulthood, then spent 12 years in Christchurch and finally moved to Taupō in 2012.
The online bio describes her business experience and says that she has owned several hair salon businesses in a 42-year career in the industry.
The grandmother of five also describes her work with the Hapori Children at Risk and Education (CARE) initiative as a facilitator and advocate, providing awareness, education and prevention assistance in relation to the areas of child abuse, neglect and poverty.
