A WOMAN accused of fraudulently obtaining $31,000 in the name of charity is facing a further five charges of false pretences.
This time, her alleged victims were taxi drivers.
Police alleged Wendy Rose Upwe’e hired five different taxis on various occasion without paying them.
Wendy appeared in the Honiara Magistrates Court on Friday on these new charges.
Police alleged after hiring each taxi, she would tell the taxi drivers that she will come back the next day to settle their bills, which she never did.
On 2 July this year, a complainant Ashley Vate’e, who joined Kings Taxi fleet, received a radio call from the Kings Taxi base to pick up someone at Lengakiki.
Mr Vate’e picked up Wendy and took her around town for six hours.
Wendy allegedly told Mr Vate’e she would hire him the whole night as she had some business in Tulagi.
The driver allegedly took her around town and at Kukum market the accused told the taxi driver to drive her to Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited (GPPOL) II in east Guadalcanal.
The driver however, told her he did not have enough fuel and the accused directed him to Bobo’s house so she can get money for fuel.
She allegedly told the driver she will return with money for his bill but she never did.
The second incident allegedly occurred on 2 August 2016.
Wendy stopped a taxi driven by Peter Tonisi at Lawson Tama area and drove around town with her to places she wanted to go as far as the King George area, and then back to Point Cruz and up to Lengakiki.
She allegedly told the driver that she will pay her bill of $1,500 when she gets her payment from Detke’s mother as she was working as a log tally for her.
A week later, Mr Tonisi saw Wendy at Kukum and asked her for his bill but the accused told him she was yet to be paid by her boss.
The third incident occurred on 24 August 2016 at around 2pm.
Taxi driver Harley Max allegedly picked Wendy and another girl at Chinatown and took them around town.
She allegedly gave $100 to the driver and told him to buy her whiskey cola premix at Rove and drove around town until midnight.
Mr Max later dropped them off at Honiara City Council and the accused told the driver she will pay her bill later.
Again on 25 August this year, Wendy called Mr Max to pick her up at Vura and to drop her off at Henderson.
Upon arriving at Henderson the accused was talking on the phone and then told the driver to turn back to town.
After driving the accused around town for some time, Wendy told the driver to drop her off at Vura.
She allegedly told Mr Max to return the following day to collect his bill of $2, 000 to cover for the two days but the taxi driver never saw her again.
On 26 August this year, Wendy stopped another taxi driven by Fredrick Sikua and after going around town told the driver she will pay him the next day.
Again on 27 August this year, she called Mr Sikua to pick her up.
The accused however, never paid her bills despite telling Mr Sikua she will pay up her bills of $5, 000.
The last incident occurred on an unknown date in August as well where Wendy stopped a taxi at the Borderline bus stop.
The driver, Kelly Madi, drove Wendy around town and on the way she requested $100 from him, with the promise this will be refunded when she pays up her bill.
Mr Madi never saw her again until when police arrested her for those alleged offences.
Police earlier charged Wendy with 10 counts of false pretence, which she denied in court last month.
These were for allegedly collecting $31, 000 from three women and an Anglican Church priest between 8 December 2014 and 26 November 2015.
She told her alleged victims, she was collecting fees for a special fund to help orphans, widows, single mothers and unemployed men and women and that she was the chair lady in a leading money scheme owned by Rose Detke and that she was responsible for collecting the enrollment fee.
A taxi driver also complained to police Wendy owed him $630 for travelling in his taxi for 63 kilometres.
Wendy was arrested on these fresh charges last week, charged, and remanded in custody.
She will return to court on September 23 for plea.
Principal Magistrate Fatima Taeburi ordered the prosecution to serve disclosures of the new charges to the prosecution by September 12.
Jenny Namo of Public Solicitor’s Office is representing Wendy.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
