A Christchurch man was regarded as a loyal employee for seven years while he stole $86,000 from the company with false invoices.
Bruce John Levey, now aged 64, was told by Judge Stephen O’Driscoll at his Christchurch District Court sentencing that he “abused a position of trust”.
He had used false invoices totalling more than $150,000 which led to losses for the plasterboard business of $86,000.
Levey had now lost his job and was on a benefit. He had cashed in his Kiwisaver and came to court with a $10,000 bank cheque to pay as reparations to the firm.
Judge O’Driscoll ordered him to pay another $10,000 in reparations but said the company would need to take civil action to recover the rest, if they wished. He imposed seven months of home detention with special conditions, and 250 hours of community work.
Levey had admitted three charges of dishonestly using documents. Two of the charges were representative, indicating the offending had happened many times.
Police have detailed the complicated invoicing system used by Levey which led to money being paid to a company named Pacific Drywall, which he owned, instead of his employers. He was employed as the area sales manager in Christchurch from 2001 to 2014.
Defence counsel James Rapley said Levey had now “hit rock bottom” and had struggled with depression. He had no previous convictions, and he urged that a home detention sentence be imposed, for Levey to live with his son.
Police prosecutor Shivani Dayal said there had been a high level of premeditation, and Levey had commented before sentencing that he felt justified because he was frequently harangued by subcontractors. This indicated he was minimising the significance of his offending and showing little remorse. The police accepted a home detention sentence could be imposed.
Judge O’Driscoll said Levey had offended by stealing from his employer while he was regarded as a loyal employee. His employer had every right to feel “upset and cheated” and other staff were upset because they felt a sense of betrayal. Since his offending, other processes had been put in place at the firm which had removed elements of trust that the staff had enjoyed.
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