Community service for stealing cash

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A St James woman, who stole approximately $108,000 from her employer over a four-month period in 2012, was sentenced to 80 hours of community service when she appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Thirty-eight-year-old cashier Christine Robinson of a Glendevon address pleaded guilty to four counts of fraudulent conversion committed against Neville Gilchrist between August and November 2012.

The facts are that over the four-month period, Robinson took sums of money from Gilchrist's barbershop where she was employed, and on another occasion, she took Gilchrist's partner money, totalling $32,400, for herself. Eventually, the discrepancies were discovered and a report was made to the police, and Robinson was subsequently arrested and charged.

In court, Gilchrist asked Resident Magistrate Carolyn Tai to dispense with the case as Robinson had already paid back the full amount to him.

"I have collected everything this morning, and I would be grateful if everything would be dissolved," said Gilchrist.

"So was she (Robinson) paying you back?" asked RM Tai.

"Yes, Your Honour," said Gilchrist.

At that point, Robinson interjected, complaining that Gilchrist had terminated her employment without paying her.

"You sent me home, and you don't give me any money, so you need to pay me up," Robinson addressed Gilchrist directly.

"He (Gilchrist) would have reasonable cause to terminate you because you took the money without his permission," RM Tai told the accused woman.

Robinson was then sentenced to perform 80 hours of community service, and she was also ordered to surrender her fingerprints to the police.

"Because of the nature of this case, I'm going to impose 80 hours of community service on you, ma'am," RM Tai said to Robinson. "You need to understand that he (Gilchrist) would have terminated you for a cause."