Trelise Cooper burglary: Florist convicted for receiving stolen clothes worth $130,000

A florist who helped transport more than $100,000 worth of stolen Trelise Cooper clothing to a storage unit has been convicted but will have to wait until next month to find out her sentence.

“One lonely hanger” was all that was left after the burglary in October 2020, which was a “kick in the guts” for Cooper’s 100 staff members.

Andrea Nicole Edwards, also known as Andrea Paul, previously admitted receiving $136,780 worth of stolen goods.

On Wednesday, the 46-year-old appeared at the Auckland District Court before Judge Kathryn Maxwell.

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Edwards’ lawyer, Annabel Cresswell, said her client had lost her job as a florist after being named in the media. She said her client received no benefit from helping her then partner.

She said staining her client’s record with a charge of receiving stolen goods would be a “red flag” to any future employer and asked for a discharge without conviction.

Crown prosecutor Victoria Squires said the offending was too serious to warrant a discharge without conviction. She said Dame Trelise Cooper had suffered as a result of the crime and the value of the stolen goods was too high to warrant a discharge.

Judge Maxwell agreed and said the consequences of Edwards’ conviction were a natural result of her offending. Sentencing will be on June 8.

Nicholas James Bush, who stole $750,000 worth of the clothes, was previously sentenced to two years and five months in jail.

Former cake retailer and “gullible” private investigator Kathy Yu-Jen Stephens will be sentenced later this month after she was found guilty of receiving some of the stolen items.

Bush broke into the designer’s showroom in Epsom on October 17, 2020, by smashing the service door. He took about 1500 dresses.

On November 6, Edwards called a taxi to pick her and Bush up from the city.

When the taxi arrived, Edwards and Bush loaded a number of suitcases into the boot, before asking the driver to turn off the meter.

They said he would be paid in cash to take them to The Mini Storage at 68 Cook St in the central city.

The pair unloaded nearly all the suitcases and left them at the storage unit before being dropped at the Cordis Hotel.

Six days later, police searched a room at the Avani Metropolis Hotel where the pair had been staying and found 16 items of stolen Trelise Cooper-branded clothing.

Police then found a number of suitcases and clothing at the storage unit, which had been booked under Edwards’ name.

Cooper previously told Stuff her company was relieved Bush had taken responsibility for the burglary.

“It had an enormous negative impact for our business, financially and reputation. There were many false allegations made about our company’s involvement in the burglary,” she said.

Bush had no links to the Trelise Cooper Group.

“My reputation and integrity have been cleared now that the offender has taken responsibility and the court has allowed publication of his name,” Cooper said.