Jodie Whitby, Ghevont Achadjian sentenced for Sylvania Crest Hotel theft

A couple who brazenly tampered with poker machines at a south Sydney hotel on two occasions have been given a second chance.

Jodie Whitby and her boyfriend Ghevont Achadjian appeared in Sutherland Local Court where they were sentenced for stealing $12,000 from poker machines at Sylvania’s Crest Hotel. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

A couple who brazenly stole more than $12,000 from poker machines inside a south Sydney hotel has been spared jail time to address their addictions.

Jodie Whitby, 36, and Ghevont Achadjian, 33, who live together in Chipping Norton, were sentenced in Sutherland Local Court on Thursday after they pleaded guilty to stealing charges.

Agreed facts tendered to the court said the couple was not involved in an armed robbery of the Crest Hotel in Sylvania, where poker machine keys were stolen on March 3 this year.

However, the couple got the keys and entered the hotel and gaming room on July 15, shortly after 1.37am, where they pretended to play a poker machine.

They fiddled with it before Achadjian grabbed the cash dispenser and took $6800.

The machine went into “fault mode” and alerted a staff member who approached the pair, but they left a short time later.

Jodie Whitby pleaded guilty to six charges but told the court she wanted to address her drug addiction through rehabilitation. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

On July 28, the couple were again playing the poker machines for several minutes inside the same hotel.

They tampered with it using the key and removed $5310 before they quickly left about 7pm.

Police viewed the hotel’s CCTV footage of both incidents before the couple were arrested at their home on August 5.

Police seized the clothing they wore during the thefts and the stolen keys.

Whitby and Achadjian were charged with receiving property, two counts of entering a building with the intent to commit an indictable offence and two counts of larceny of more than $5000.

Achadjian was also charged with two counts of committing an indictable offence when having a previous conviction and had been in custody since his arrest.

In court, defence lawyer Mark Kryakos said Whitby had a limited criminal history, and the offences were an “aberration”, adding she had shown a “tremendous amount of contrition”.

The court heard Whitby could not work due to a traumatic workplace incident and had become depressed and addicted to drugs.

Mr Kryakos noted Whitby had engaged with drug rehabilitation counselling, was “motivated to address her long-term drug issues”, and was enrolled in a full-time residential program.

The couple were spared jail time when sentenced for stealing cash.

Achadjian’s lawyer Michael Doughty noted his client had been released to parole shortly before he committed the thefts, had not been working as a plumber at the time and had long-standing drug issues.

He noted his client’s criminal history was bad, and he had committed other dishonesty offences.

Mr Doughty noted Achadjian was in a “cycle of offending” but had good prospects of rehabilitation if he could do drug counselling and stay clean.

He added Achadjian had the support of his family, Whitby, her family, work prospects and a place to live.

Magistrate Gareth Christofi said the crime was more serious because the pair had used a degree of planning to carry out the thefts.

He convicted and sentenced Whitby to a community correction order for 18 months, where she must complete the residential drug rehabilitation and repay $3000 in compensation to the hotel.

Mr Christofi gave Achadjian a chance to “make good on his promise of rehabilitation” and convicted and sentenced him to an intensive correction order for 18 months, where he must complete 150 hours of community service.