At sentencing in June last year, Judge John Walker noted Salmon was to be deported to the UK after leaving prison.
Salmon had fallen in with a bad crowd at a young age, leading to prison time back home before he became involved with an international criminal operation that drew him to New Zealand.
Reece Alexander Salmon, then 27, appeared in the Wellington District Court in 2025 for sentencing after defrauding multiple elderly victims. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
“You’re still relatively young. You have the ability to change,” Judge Walker said.
“Clearly since you were a young person you’ve been mixing with a criminal crowd. Your background of offending has made that likely that you will be engaged with others who will lead you into a path of offending.
“You have the ability to decide on your return to the UK whether you will continue with that type of connection or separate yourself and concentrate on your partner and child. That’s a decision that you have to make.”
Salmon’s family described him as a “loving partner and son” who left behind many friends and loved ones, and said they were “utterly devastated”.
“It is impossible to put our loss into words.”
‘I deserve to be jailed’
Salmon pleaded guilty in New Zealand to 15 counts of obtaining cash and gold by deception, and two counts of attempting to obtain by deception, before being sentenced in the Wellington District Court last year.
His victims ranged in age from 69 to 95, with Salmon visiting one of the victims at their home in a retirement village to defraud them.
Before sentencing, Salmon addressed Judge Walker, apologising for what he had done to the victims.
“I deserve to be jailed and I hope today this is the closure that they are entitled to,” he said.
Members of the criminal group Salmon had worked with impersonated police, getting victims to co-operate in what they believed was an undercover investigation.
“The victims’ assistance involved them withdrawing large amounts of cash from their banks or, in some cases, purchasing gold bullion,” the judge said.
The victims would take the cash or gold to their homes, and a courier would arrive and give them a pre-arranged codeword before taking the “delivery” away.
Reece Alexander Salmon has died aged 28 after a stabbing in central London.
Salmon was the courier in the Wellington region, taking money and gold from 19 victims between late July 2024 and early August, often while wearing disguises.
Police became aware of the scam when one victim was asked to buy $170,000 in gold bullion. Officers intercepted and arrested Salmon when he arrived to collect the gold.
In total, he took $239,500 in cash and $172,000 in gold from his victims.
Reading the victim impact statements, Judge Walker said one widow, who lived alone, had $171,000 in gold and $20,000 in cash stolen over four visits.
“This had a huge impact on her confidence, and she felt vulnerable.”
Other victims reported a loss of trust and confidence, feeling more isolated and suffering sleepless nights.
Judge Walker allowed sentence discounts for Salmon’s guilty pleas and the impact imprisonment would have on his partner and daughter, then aged 3. He sentenced him to four years in prison.
A New Zealand Parole Board spokeswoman confirmed Salmon was granted parole in February this year.
Immigration NZ’s national manager of compliance, Fadia Mudafar, said Salmon was deported on May 25.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 12 years.