The accused pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 involving the misappropriation of over $722,000 from her employer over a four-year period.
The theft was committed through multiple methods including ATM withdrawals, credit card payments, and cheques written to herself.
The accused was a trusted employee and secretary with signing authority on the company account.
The court imposed a sentence of six months imprisonment followed by three years probation, rejecting a conditional sentence despite significant mitigating factors including the accused's gambling addiction, remorse, and rehabilitation efforts.
The court found that denunciation and general deterrence required custodial time given the magnitude of the theft, duration of conduct, egregious breach of trust, and impact on the victim.
