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• Tipene Funerals co-owner Francis Tipene has apologised for Bakulich’s actions and their impact on families.

A former Tipene funeral director who stole from clients and mishandled bodies of their loved ones has been sentenced to more than two years in jail.

Fiona Bakulich, a then-employee of Tipene Funerals and a star in the company’s reality television show The Casketeers, in February pleaded guilty on 14 charges of interfering with human remains and obtaining by deception.

The Auckland funeral director was convicted of defrauding her grieving clients by wrapping bodies in plastic instead of the coffins paid for.

Today Judge Evangelos Thomas said to Bakulich: “You looked them [the victims] so softly in the eye, and stabbed them so ruthlessly in the back.”

He sentenced her to 2 years, 3 months jail time in the Auckland District Court today. The judge gave discounts for her guilty pleas.

It was standing room only with supporters and family of the former undertaker, as well as the families of her victims, packed into courtroom seven waiting for her to have her sentence handed down for mishandling bodies and scamming her grieving clients.

Sitting in the dock Bakulich wore rosary beads and a scapular around her neck. The scapular carried the phrase: “Whosoever dies clothed in this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire”.

During today’s sentencing the police prosecutor read victim impact statements from affected families who were granted permanent name suppression.

“Today’s 14 months to the day our beautiful mother passed away. We put our trust and faith in our funeral director who our mother had requested before her passing.

“Over the past year, we have not even been able to fully grieve our mother. Losing our mum was hard enough without disclosing the aftermath.

“It has been nothing but overbearing, overwhelming, soul-destroying, and realising there is no amount that could be compensated. We have been stripped of all the most precious moments with out mother, all because of an opportunist, who actually thought it was her right to exploit her authority,” he told the court.

“Why? For what purpose does this serve you? Fiona Bakulich made a choice, premeditated and planned. The damage and trauma is of an unfathomable scale. Honestly, I think Fiona has no integrity, not one empathetic bone in her body. She is the epitome of soulless,” the court heard.

A second victim told the court having to go through the lies at such a difficult time was one of the worst experiences ever.

“To find out about this broke me. To rob people during the worst time … I have no words for it. You have to have no heart to lie to people during such a time.“

Another victim told the court it was such a shame to have to relive their father’s death so often.

“My family and I have been deeply affected by Fiona’s actions. The celebration of my fathers life has been ruined by police statements. Instead of caring for us, she chose to trick us during a vulnerable time.”

In February, Fiona Bakulich pleaded guilty on all 14 charges against her. Photo / Michael Craig

Offending uncovered by Cyclone Gabrielle damage

Bakulich’s offending, which was found out by chance after a natural disaster, stretched back to 2017 and continued until last year and included at least 11 victims.

Several bodies Bakulich handled and interred at a public mausoleum in West Auckland had to be removed due to damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

Bereft families were there when their loved ones’ bodies were removed. And when the caskets were taken out and lifted, it was revealed a $3000 metal inner casket required for mausoleums and paid for by the families was missing. “When the families opened up the caskets, it was just a whole other level of grief. There was just wailing and screaming,” a relative told the Herald.

“How could you do this to our loved ones? You just bagged them like a piece of rubbish.”

An exclusive Herald investigation unearthed the scam buried in the country’s largest cemetery in August after several families went public with accusations against Bakulich.

It was then revealed police had earlier launched an investigation into reports of financial crime, but had dropped the case due to insufficient evidence.

After the ����������’s report, police launched a new probe into accusations Bakulich mishandled bodies, arrested her and put her before court in October.

Bakulich then pleaded guilty on all 14 charges against her in February. She admitted two charges of interfering with human remains and obtaining by deception.

Bakulichultimately pocketed more than $15,000 from her grieving clients.

She has made no statements to police, the court or media about her actions.

An exclusive Herald investigation unearthed the rot hidden in the country’s largest cemetery in August after several families went public with accusations against Bakulich. Photos / Michael Craig, Facebook

Her former employer, Tipene Funerals co-owner Francis Tipene, has previously told the Herald he was sorry about Bakulich’s crimes and their impact on his clients.

Tipene saidhis company “deeply regrets the actions taken by its former employee”.

“We unreservedly apologise for the distress their actions have caused the families involved. I am deeply sorry for the pain and sorrow that this has caused those affected.”

Bakulich worked for him for the same seven years her crimes lasted.

Another Auckland funeral director was arrested last month in connection with the scam and faces three charges, including interfering with human remains. He has name suppression and pleaded not guilty, electing trial by jury.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.