Bradley Moon: bartender stole thousands from Goulburn pub

A bartender stole thousands of dollars from the pub he worked for with some sneaky tactics which were only uncovered after he handed in his resignation.

A Goulburn bartender who stole thousands of dollars from his employer in Goulburn has been slammed for a breach of trust.

Bradley James David Moon, 25, faced Goulburn Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to stealing property as an employee. He admitted stealing $6000 from his former employer when he was trusted to handle cash during the pub’s closure.

Moon had been working for a hospitality company that runs Goulburn venues Astor Hotel and Tattersalls Hotel for four years when he decided to hand in his resignation on August 16 2020.

The next week on August 21, Moon was closing the bar and performing the cashier duties as normal. He prepared two bundles of cash to be reloaded into the ATM and the Cash Redemption Terminal and placed them in the hotel safe.

Bradley James David Moon had been with the same employer since 2016.

But when his boss collected the bundles the next day and counted them, they were $250 short. Moon initially denied taking the cash but shortly after the denial, he called his boss back and admitted to stealing $250.

He then told his boss he’d stolen even more cash from the venue, and went into the bar to repay $585 of the funds he’d stolen.

The hotel conducted a thorough audit of the finances on August 23 and found that $6000 had been nicked from the tills and cash machines. Moon admitted to stealing all of it from his employer and he was sacked. He was due to finish work in September due to his resignation, but the theft cut his time short.

The court heard he repaid more than $1200 in an agreement with the hotel to attempt to avoid prosecution, rather than in a show of contrition.

The court heard Bradley James David Moon aims to join the navy.

“It’s a different sort of repayment that doesn’t have as big an impact on remorse,” Magistrate Geraldine Beattie said.

Moon’s lawyer denied this, arguing his client had shown he was sorry throughout the proceedings.

“Ultimately there was a significant amount of remorse,” Ms Beattie said.

“It was offered voluntarily by Mr Moon.”

Mr Lloyd argued Moon was trying to make amends by seeking treatment for his gambling addiction and poor mental health, and trying to enrol in the navy.

Magistrate Beattie noted that, although the plea of guilty came very late, Moon has no criminal history. However, she slammed Moon for breaching a significant bond of trust established with his employer.

Bradley James David Moon appeared in Goulburn Local Court this week.

“You were shown trust, you were the one who counted the money and you had the sole access to the money,” she said.

“You abused the trust. It’s a serious offence.”

Magistrate Beattie said the money Moon stole was intended to pay wages for other staff, and reminded Moon the maximum penalty for larceny is 14 years imprisonment.

“It’s a high penalty for larceny because of the trust issue,” she said.

She sentenced Moon to 14 months imprisonment to be served by way of a community corrections order. She ordered him to serve community service and to repay the debt owing to the hotel, which totals nearly $5,000.