Employee stole from his boss to feed his gambling addiction

The 25-year-old was captured on the warehouse CCTV cameras pocketing sums of cash.

The staffer was pocketing cash from his employer to feed his gambling addiction.

A 25-YEAR-OLD man put in charge of a company’s Toowoomba warehouse had helped himself to his employer’s cash to feed his gambling addiction, the city’s Magistrates Court has heard.

Bradley Thomas Dixon-Scherf had been hired to run the Torrington warehouse for Levelmaster, a company which sold adjustable housing stumps among other items.

The preferred mode of payment by customers was by card, however, when cash was offered the company had a system in place where an invoice was generated and the cash placed in a drawer and banked, the court heard.

However, the business owner had become suspicious of cash transactions and on May 16, 2019, he had a “mystery shopper” go to the store and buy some equipment.

The “customer” handed over $650 cash for the purchases but no invoice had been generated and the cash not put into the drawer or banked, the court heard.

The owner then had CCTV surveillance cameras placed in the warehouse without Dixon-Scherf’s knowledge and on June 7, 2019, footage was captured of the 25-year-old taking receipt of $900 cash, for which no invoice was generated.

On June 12 another mystery shopper had handed over $400 cash to the defendant and, again, no invoice was generated, the court heard.

Dixon-Scherf’s employment was then terminated and the owner’s son took over the running of the warehouse.

The son had found an envelope containing $300 cash which was derived from a transaction that had involved $450 cash, the court was told.

Total cash unaccounted for was $2100.

During a police record of interview, Dixon-Scherf said he had taken some cash in lieu of a fuel card which had expired.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of stealing as a servant.

His solicitor Ms Lohman told the court her client had suffered gambling addiction since he was 18.

Since this incident the now 26-year-old had not gambled or attended any venue where gambling is practised.

Ms Lohman asked that no conviction be recorded against her client as it could jeopardise his work and future employment prospects.

She said her client had placed $2100 into a trust account that would be repaid to the company once he was sentenced.

Acting Magistrate Lisa O’Neill placed Dixon-Scherf on 12 months probation, ordered he repay the $2100 within seven days but ordered the conviction not be recorded.