Louise Carol Kennedy: Salesperson stole thousands from Gold Coast shop while on court orders

A repeat offender – who has been jailed for fraud before – stole more than $7.2k from the Gold Coast vehicle accessory store she worked at. Find out what happened in court.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA- NewsWire Photos. SEPTEMBER 03,2022. Southport Courthouse, Gold Coast, Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Richard Gosling

A repeat offender – who has been jailed for fraud before – stole more than $7.2k from the Gold Coast vehicle accessory store she worked at.

Louise Carol Kennedy pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday to defrauding her employer early last year, breaching the suspended prison sentence she was subject to.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Andrew Smith said Kennedy ripped off $7287.06 from MSA 4x4 Accessories in Arundel.

MSA 4x4 Accessories is a Gold Coast business based in Arundel.

“The defendant was employed as an accounts manager at that business and was responsible for financial management, including paying invoices and reconciling business accounts,” Sen Cons Smith told the court.

“(Kennedy) had her own personal login for a St George business account.”

It wasn’t until she was fired in February 2022 “due to poor performance” that the business owner “identified suspect transactions” Kennedy had made in the weeks between January 27 and February 18.

The court heard five transactions were made in just three weeks, with the largest amount being $4715.80.

“These transactions were made to the defendant’s bank card, causing financial loss to the business,” the prosecution said.

On July 6 authorities reached out to Kennedy after the business owner “requested all communication go through police”.

Sen Cons Smith told the court Kennedy “offered to police to pay back the stolen money if she wasn’t charged”, saying “I can pay it back with my tax, please”.

The prosecution said Kennedy’s criminal history features another fraud offence from 2018 in which she was charged for “causing detriment by employee” after stealing $213,000. She was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of five years, part of which was served in custody.

Due to the breach of these court orders, Sen Cons Smith said “imprisonment is within range” and suggested 9-12 months behind bars would be suitable.

“Personal and general deterrence are important in these matters,” he said.

“The defendant was in a position of trust, she took advantage of that.”

Defence lawyer, Joe Wicking of Potts Lawyers, opposed custody, citing the “large impacts” that short terms of imprisonment can have.

Mr Wicking said Kennedy had been working for the past 10 months as a washing machine salesperson, while renting in Biggera Waters, which had resulted in “some significant stability for her”.

“Your Honour would know from the various reports within the Gold Coast Bulletin and wider media that the housing situation is currently quite dire, particularly in terms of rentals,” the lawyer said.

The defence claimed that, if imprisoned, Kennedy would be released “10 steps backwards” and forced to rebuild her life.

“She would lose her house, her employment, and her motor vehicle,” Mr Wicking said.

The solicitor claimed Kennedy’s fraud, in “contrast to her previous offending”, was less “sophisticated” and showed less “effort in terms of attempts to cover it”.

Mr Wicking spoke on Kennedy’s “quite difficult” upbringing as one of five children – including alleged abuse that led to a PTSD diagnosis later in life – and how a sibling relationship related to the fraud.

“The offending is born out of a family situation where (Kennedy’s) sister fell on hard times (and had to) borrow large sums of money from my client,” Mr Wicking said.

The solicitor pointed out “the offending occurs over a short period of approximately three weeks”, and that the figure was around the same amount Kennedy had given her sister.

Magistrate Dzenita Balic said Kennedy’s “genuine remorse” was obvious, but warned that “defrauding an employer is a very serious thing to do”.

Magistrate Balic opted to “significantly reduce” the period of custody, handing down a 12-month prison sentence with a parole date of February 18.

Restitution of $7287.06 was also ordered to be paid to registry within seven days.