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Sally Anne Robertson stole nearly $317,000 from her employer to feed a gambling addiction
She has avoided a prison sentence today, instead being given a term of five months’ community detention
Judge Tania Warburton cited Robertson’s remorse and repayment of the stolen money in her decision
A Kāpiti woman who stole more than $300,000 from her employer to feed a gambling addiction has been moved to tears in the courtroom after being told she would not go to prison for her crime.
Sally Anne Robertson collapsed on her husband’s shoulder crying at the end ofher sentencing hearing in the Hutt Valley District Court, having been told she would instead serve a community detention sentence at her home in Raumati.
The 59-year-old had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of theft by a person in a special relationship for the “significant” offending.
Robertson was employed by the civil engineering company SBA Civil Ltd from August 2022 to October 2023 in an administration role. Only she and one other person had personalised logins to the business’ bank account, Judge Tania Warburton said.
In September last year, one of the company’s suppliers queried a payment, and an investigation revealed the money had been sent to Robertson’s own bank account instead of the supplier’s. The investigation uncovered a further 37 transactions where money had been sent directly to Robertson’s accounts.
The case was heard in the Hutt Valley District Court today.
In total, Robertson stole nearly $317,000, which she has now paid back in full with interest and including legal fees following a civil court case.
Judge Warburton said the victim had earlier provided an impact statement showing he felt a large amount of stress and anxiety and found it difficult to focus on the business.
Robertson’s defence lawyer asked for the judge to consider community detention as an alternative to prison.
“This case, if any, highlights the reasons for judicial discretion in sentencing because of the range of circumstances that can come before the court,” he said.
The offending was not to “fund some sort of luxury lifestyle”, but came about due to the “unrelenting pressure” Robertson felt from her family, he said.
“She found herself, unfortunately, in the grip of addiction that led to the offending.”
He said the shame that would be visited on her from the conviction would serve to denounce the offending without creating undue hardship to her family.
The police prosecutor agreed, noting Robertson was in active employment and had fully paid back the stolen money.
Judge Warburton said the amount of money stolen was “significant”.
“Your offending was bad but I want to stress to you that you are not a bad person,” she told Robertson.
At an earlier sentencing indication hearing, the judge took a starting point of four years in prison and allowed discounts for the guilty plea, the fact the money has been paid back, and Robertson’s remorse and work towards rehabilitating herself.
She said Robertson had developed the gambling addiction when under “severe strain”, first caring for her sick father, then her mother and sister.
Following the discounts, which brought the sentence to 19 months’ imprisonment, Judge Warburton today swapped a jail term for five months’ community detention with a daily 7pm-7am curfew.
Robertson’s family members cried as she left the dock, and she wept briefly in their arms before leaving the courtroom.
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 10 years.
In September last year, one of the company’s suppliers quereied a payment, and an investigation revealed the money had been sent to Robertson’s own bank account instead of the supplier’s. The investigation uncovered a further 37 transactions where money had been sent directly to Robertson’s accounts.nts.ts..
