A former Auckland undertaker has been jailed for two years and three months after improperly handling human remains and deceiving people to buy vaccines for their dead loved ones.
Fiona Bakulich, a former employee of Tipene Funerals, was also ordered to pay more than $16,900 in reparations.
The 48-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges of interfering with human remains and 12 charges of obtaining by deception in February.
Her offending related to 11 victims in total.
However, at sentencing the Crown dropped one charge of interfering of human remains she had previously pleaded guilty to.
She was required to correctly line and seal coffins with zinc prior to interment as part of her job.
The offending came to light when caskets at Waikumete Cemetery in Glen Eden were damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle.
In one case, a casket was disinterred to check for damage, which revealed the casket hadn’t been lined with zinc – instead the deceased had been wrapped in plastic.
In another, a casket which had been damaged was disinterred, revealing it had not been lined with zinc and the deceased had been placed without any protective covering except for clothing.
Fiona Bakulich fleeced thousands of dollars from grieving families. (Source: 1News)
Between 2021 and 2024, Bakulich deceived seven families to pay her for Covid-19 immunisations and treatments for their deceased loved ones, which were not administered or required.
She also deceived one victim to pay her for an injection on the genitalia of their deceased loved one because of an infection.
No injections were administered or required.
In another instance, Bakulich deceived a victim to believe the Ministry of Health required $7000 to be paid for breaching Covid requirements during a funeral.
Funeral Directors Association chief executive Gillian Boyes told 1News Bakulich did not work for a member firm of the association.
“We are able to say to New Zealanders, if you work with a member firm, our members are subject to standards and ethical practices. We’d be pretty confident we wouldn’t see this kind of thing,” she said.
A 53-year-old funeral director, who has name suppression, has denied charges of neglecting to properly line and seal a casket and obtaining over $18,000 by deception.
He will reappear in court in June.