Employee guilty of selling Ibis hotel furniture worth $73k while owner was out of town

A HOTEL employee who sold thousands of dollars worth of furniture and goods has pleaded guilty in Alice Springs Local Court to stealing

The Ibis hotel in Alice Springs.

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A HOTEL employee who sold $73,000 worth of furniture and goods while the owner was away has pleaded guilty in Alice Springs Local Court to stealing.

Police were alerted to the incident after the property’s new owner returned to Alice Springs from interstate to discover items from the Ibis Styles Hotel on Gap Road were missing.

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Dion Smith, 33, pleaded guilty to stealing on Thursday via video link from Alice Springs jail.

Crown prosecutor Glen Dooley said a range of hotel goods were sold without authorisation including TVs, fridges and tables.

“Once he got the keys to the castle he demonstrated a very high level of devious behaviour,” he said. “The defendant without authorisation contacted a number of people advertising the sale of furniture and fittings located in Ibis.”

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In a victim impact statement, the hotel’s new owner said the ordeal left him a with a lack of trust in people. “It has made me very reluctant to employ new staff,” he said.

Smith is set to be sentenced by Judge John Birch tomorrow.

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