A woman stole almost $186,000 from a small, family-owned business to fund her online shopping and drug use, a Bendigo court has heard.
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Maryborough resident Megan Lee Featherby, 45, pleaded guilty in the County Court on Tuesday to obtaining financial advantage by deception, possessing methamphetamine and possessing cannabis.
Between October 27, 2015 and June 28, 2017, Featherby made 195 unauthorised transfers amounting to $185,921.55 from her Carisbrook employer to three personal accounts.
Featherby was employed as a part-time office assistant and was responsible for bookkeeping.
For each transfer, she used the name of an existing customer - with whom there were regular, legitimate transactions - as the transaction reference with the bank.
She then entered each transfer in the business' accounting system as a transfer to this customer.
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In December 2016, Featherby was challenged on a $3300 transfer made to her account, but she said she had made a mistake and reversed the transaction.
Featherby's thefts were eventually unearthed when the business' bank contacted the owners about suspected fraudulent transactions, having detected a large number of transfers to a personal account.
The business owners went through their accounts and discovered the transfers to Featherby's account, then reported the matter to police.
In August 2017, police searched Featherby's home and found 0.3 grams of methamphetamine and 6.3 grams of cannabis.
In two interviews with police, Featherby falsely claimed one of the owners instructed her to make the transfers to her account.
Prosecutor David Cordy said the money was spent on online shopping, but Featherby made no substantial purchases and had nothing to show for the thefts.
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In a victim impact statement, the father of one of the business owners described Featherby as a "selfish, self-centred, self-serving person" who had financially and emotionally gutted his son and daughter-in-law.
Defence counsel Eleanor Millar said Featherby began online shopping after the end of an abusive relationship, and she believed it was a manifestation of her depression.
But Ms Millar said her client also used some of the money to support her drug use, having used ice and cannabis daily during her offending.
Ms Millar said her client began using drugs during past abusive relationships and it became a way to cope with her mental health issues.
She referred to the report of a psychologist, who said Featherby's age, lack of experience with the criminal justice system and role as carer for her mother would mean she would find prison difficult to navigate and it would exacerbate her mental illness.
Ms Millar argued Featherby's limited criminal history - several charges including theft of a motor vehicle and drug possession, for which she was fined with no conviction - was not relevant.
But Judge Douglas Trapnell said it was because it occurred only eight months before this offending and including theft and drugs charges.
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Ms Millar also submitted the offending was not at the higher end of seriousness because the money was not diverted from creditors so did not damage the standing of the business, the amount was not such the business owners noticed it missing, the business was not a charity or non-profit, and it was unsophisticated.
But Judge Trapnell contended Featherby had been clever in her offending in avoiding detection and her cover-up was an aggravating feature.
Ms Millar said her client also pleaded guilty at a relatively early stage and a psychologist reported she was deeply regretful for her actions, although Judge Trapnell again questioned this.
Featherby had meaningful prospects of rehabilitation, Ms Millar said, and asked Judge Trapnell to impose a community corrections order.
But Mr Cordy, the prosecutor, said the psychologist's report was based on Featherby's self-reporting, and she made no indication of remorse.
After she was caught in December 2016 transferring $3300, he said, she "continued on her merry way" with further offences.
He said Featherby's offending constituted a significant breach of trust and was a serious example of the crime.
"It's submitted a community corrections order even in combination with a term of imprisonment is a totally inadequate response to the offending," Mr Cordy said.
Judge Trapnell adjourned sentencing to a later date and remanded Featherby in custody.
He also adjourned his decision on ordering the restitution of more than $182,000 the victims had not recovered, although Ms Millar said Featherby was not in a position to pay.
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