Former employee steals hundreds by hiding cash
He has fronted court after ‘tickling the till’ while working at Bunnings at Airlie Beach.
Police & Courts
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A FORMER Bunnings employee has fronted court after being caught pocketing hundreds of dollars from the business while employed there.
Kai Alan McMurdo stole cash from the Airlie Beach store eight times, Proserpine Magistrates Court has heard.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Emma Myors told the court this week McMurdo committed the spate of thefts between March and May this year.
Sgt Myors said McMurdo pocketed notes at the end of his shift and hid notes under the register or keyboard multiple times while completing the final count for the registers.
He would often turn his back to the CCTV camera before sliding the notes into his pocket.
The court heard McMurdo, who stole a total of $630, was found out after an investigation into register shortages was started in May.
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The 20-year-old man pleaded guilty this week to one count of stealing by a clerk.
Lawyer Elizabeth Smith appeared for McMurdo, telling the court the Cannonvale man had apologised to the Bunnings manager and paid back more money than he owed the business.
She told the court McMurdo had lost his job and described the crime as unsophisticated and opportunistic.
“It became a pattern and they tracked it down quickly and they were able to nip it in the bud,” Ms Smith said.
Ms Smith said McMurdo, who worked at Bunnings for four years, could not explain his behaviour and spent the money on various personal things.
He was now working at a pizza shop but had aspirations to become an apprentice tattooist so Ms Smith asked Magistrate James Morton to consider not recording a conviction.
Mr Morton asked McMurdo how he thought he was going to get away with the crime.
“It’s probably because of your age and you’re probably not an experienced person,” Mr Morton said.
“You were never going to get away with it.
“It’s out of greed, not need. It probably just got too easy and too good.”
Mr Morton decided not to record a conviction against McMurdo’s name and fined him $400.
“Next time you get your hands on money that’s not yours, do the right thing,” Mr Morton said.
“If you owned a business, trying to get by, and one of your workers took money by tickling the till, how would you feel?”