Woman admits gambling most of $1millionNZPA
December 16, 2010, 5:21 pm
An office manager has admitted gambling away most of the $1.04 million she stole from her employer and she is now in custody awaiting sentence, after an appearance in the Christchurch District Court today.
Maria Ann Kahu, 40, was hired as an office manager by a Christchurch digital printing company in 2004, and today she pleaded guilty to five charges of theft by failing to account.
Over six years she made 276 unauthorised transactions from the company into her own bank account.
Kahu, who lives in Rolleston, handed her notice in to the company recently to move to Australia, and the large number of anomalies were found.
Defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger sought bail for Kahu so that she could arrange to sell her home to put the money towards a reparation payment.
She said Kahu had no previous convictions, no money, and the police had her passport so she was not a flight risk.
"She knows she is going to prison," Miss Bulger said.
Judge Stephen Erber declined bail and remanded her in custody to a crown sentencing on March 18. He ordered a pre-sentence report and a reparation report, and refused to order a report that would allow a home detention sentence to be considered.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/local/8523759/woman-admits-gambling-most-of-1million/Spose by the time March comes around she will be eligjble for parole