Former Doylo RSL bookkeeper to face trial over $1M fraud
A FORMER cash controller of an RSL in the Central Coast region of NSW will stand trial after a magistrate found “devastating” evidence that her husband confessed her fraud to the club’s CEO.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: In March 2019 all charges against Ms Boyd were dropped by the DPP.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In March 2019 all charges against Ms Boyd were dropped by the DPP.
A FORMER cash controller of the Doyalson RSL will stand trial after a magistrate found “devastating” evidence that her husband confessed her fraud to the club’s CEO.
Katherine Boyd was charged in October last year with fraudulently stealing $1,055,574 in various transactions between 2009 and 2017 following an eight-month police investigation.
Ms Boyd worked at the club for 27 years and was the head cash controller with six other cash controllers beneath her at the time.
In a forensic accounting report tendered to Wyong Local Court as part of the police brief of evidence, it is alleged the 47-year-old from Halekulani concealed the theft of cash by restricting other staff member’s access to the vault, working before and after hours and often seven days a week without taking leave “to ensure her activities remained unchallenged”.
The forensic report alleges Ms Boyd used her position of trust and often verbally confirmed what cash was in the vault without it being checked.
It is alleged Ms Boyd did unauthorised midweek poker machine clearances and used the cash to make it look like the vault balances were accurate and replaced stolen cash with other days’ takings.
It is also alleged she falsified manual vault records.
She has not entered any pleas and the matter went to a committal hearing in August.
Magistrate Daniel Covington today ruled while she had “opportunity” to take the money and there was money missing, much of the evidence remained “circumstantial”.
However he could not get past evidence, albeit hearsay, that her husband George Boyd had confessed to Doyalson RSL’s CEO Darren Thornton that she had been taking money from the club over the past eight years totalling about $900,000.
Mr Covington said while her husband had not made any statements to police, the prosecution could subpoena him at trial.
“If this piece of evidence went before a jury it would be devastating for the accused,” he said.
“There’s a reasonable prospect, a reasonable jury, properly instructed, could find the accused guilty of an indictable offence.”
The magistrate asked Ms Boyd if she wanted to give any statement about her guilt but she declined and the matter was set down for arraignment in Gosford District Court on October 26.
In Mr Thornton’s statement to police, also tendered in court documents, he said his finance manager came to him with some concerns about Ms Boyd being behind in her banking on Monday, February 2 last year.
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Ms Boyd had already left for the day and called in sick for the next two days.
When Mr Thornton arrived on Thursday he said he had an urgent message from Ms Boyd’s husband who wanted to see him and the club’s account manager.
Mr Thornton said Mr Boyd came to the club and told him Ms Boyd was sick, taking pain killers and had not eaten for two weeks.
Mr Thornton said Mr Boyd told him “Katie confessed to me” to taking money from the club.
“I looked at (the account manager) and I was dumbfounded as to what he was telling us,” Mr Thornton said in his statement.
He contacted police with the club’s insurer also conducting an investigation.
The investigations allege Ms Boyd stole $383,135 in undeposited funds, $434,375 from the vault and $238,065 in mid week clearances for a total of $1,055,575.