A HAMILTON VicRoads chief who stole $315,000 to feed a poker machine habit has pleaded guilty and is expected to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
Jennifer Maree Clarke, 53, of Leahy Street, admitted to three charges of theft in the Warrnambool County Court relating to $315,185.45 stolen between August 11, 2005, and September 7, 2007.
Clarke kept envelopes of each day's takings, took cash and then tried to pay back the money with the takings from following days.
She got further and further behind and her total personal gain from the 167 individual thefts over more than two years was $82,928.25.
In the two years and four months since the offending was detected she has paid back $600.
Clarke has now entered an agreement to pay back $100 a month to VicRoads. It will take more than 68 years to repay the debt.
Crown prosecutor Daniel Hannan told the court on Friday that Clarke was the customer service manager at Hamilton's VicRoads office and had worked there for more than 20 years.
The system of handling money involved cash and cheques from cashiers being put into an envelope each day with details of how much each envelope contained. The envelopes were to then be witnessed being put into a safe which was picked up by Armaguard.
Clarke told staff to go home and she took cash out of the envelopes which she used and then tried to replace from takings in following days.
Complaints from customers about the length of time it was taking to cash cheques led to an investigation and the scam was detected in September 2007.
Clarke told investigators she knew the day was coming when her offending would be uncovered and she co-operated fully with VicRoads investigators and police.
Defence counsel Michael Turner submitted that his client should receive a suspended jail sentence but Judge Felicity Hampel seems likely to impose a sentence which will include a term of imprisonment to be served immediately.
Mr Turner said his client had no prior convictions and Clarke took money to feed her gambling problem as well as pay household bills.
He said she attempted to pay back the money and built up credit card debts of $40,000, took out a $20,000 personal loan and the family's bank mortgage ballooned to $160,000.
Mr Turner described the offending as a "shuffling exercise" which snowballed and was a constant battle to hide.
Clarke immediately resigned from VicRoads and she now works as a part-time cleaner.
Mr Turner said Clarke described her period of offending as like being in a black hole from which she was unable to escape.
He said she was almost grateful when she was caught and Clarke had now dealt with her gambling addiction issues but she felt great shame and embarrassment.
Clarke was previously involved in Hamilton junior basketball and netball and part of the Hamilton Sportswomen’s Association.
“But for this offending she may well be regarded as a model citizen,” Mr Turner said.
The case has taken an extended period to reach court after delays caused by a VicRoads investigation and charges being uplifted to the County Court due to the seriousness of offending.
The prosecution called for an immediate jail term.
Judge Hampel said there were relevant sentencing considerations such as the delay in the case, Clarke had no prior convictions and the rehabilitation steps the defendant had undertaken.
On Friday Clarke was released on bail and will be sentenced on February 16.
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