Woman admits stealing over $300k from Cadbury

Photo / File

A woman charged with stealing $305,775 from Cadbury, Dunedin, while working there as an administration team leader, has admitted the theft.

A recent audit showed the woman had stolen nearly 50 per cent of the cash takings of Cadbury's on-site staff confectionery shop since 2008, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.

Facing five indictably-laid charges of theft, Victoria Leigh Mullany, 34, now unemployed, pleaded guilty.

Judge Michael Crosbie remanded her on bail for sentence on August 8.

Prosecutor Sergeant Graeme Evans said Mullany began working for the confectionery company in 2002 and held the position of administration team leader between 2006 and earlier this year.

Her duties included keeping a record book of confectionery sales to staff through the on-site staff shop. Mullany was also responsible for banking the money.

When the money arrived at her office each day, Mullany falsified the entries in her cash book by showing a lesser amount of cash received. She then kept the difference.

To avoid detection, she told the shop manager not to keep any records of the shop sales.

After writing up the cash book, Mullany destroyed the cash register tapes and daily sales record sheets so the cash book balanced with the banking records.

However, the shop manager felt uneasy when told not to keep any records and kept copies of the sales sheets and till tapes without Mullany's knowledge.

In a recent audit of shop sales it was discovered Mullany had taken nearly 50 per cent of the cash takings since 2008 - the total money stolen being $305,775.

The amounts were $42,245 between July 28 and December 31, 2008; $75,770 in 2009; $78,950 in 2010; $103,320 last year; and $5490 between January 1 and February 22 this year.

Mullany had not previously appeared in court.