Heartless fraudster rips off grieving dad

MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times

RIPPED OFF: Nigel Dolheguy said former employee Beverley Dawson began stealing from his business on the day his son died.

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CONVICTED: Beverley Dawson

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On the same day Hamilton man Nigel Dolheguy's teenage son died in an accident, office worker Beverley Dawson began stealing more than $25,900 from his business.

The "callous" nature of Dawson's theft has prompted Mr Dolheguy to speak out as a warning to other Waikato business owners.

Dawson was sentenced on Tuesday in the Hamilton District Court to four months' home detention and ordered to pay $20,903.17 reparation after pleading guilty to one representative charge of obtaining by deception.

The 45-year-old has previous convictions for similar offending - a fact Mr Dolheguy was unaware of when he hired her to work at Eftpos Specialists (Waikato) Ltd in 2008.

The court heard that between March 2008 and December 2009, Dawson used her position as an office administrator to make 57 fraudulent transactions from the business' bank account into two of her own accounts.

Mr Dolheguy said Dawson's offending began on the same day his 15-year-old son, Kyle, died.

"[Dawson] began ripping off the business the very same day we lost Kyle and I had to leave the company in her hands," Mr Dolheguy said.

"During that time when my family was grieving she had the balls to ring me in Auckland and ask me to put more money into the company's bank account, money which she then put into her own bank accounts."

Mr Dolheguy said he did pre-employment checks on Dawson but no warning signs emerged.

"It's frustrating to know that this woman who would smile at you at work was stealing behind your back.

"She's since said that she was suffering from depression but being depressed doesn't make you a thief.

"She's just a cold-hearted bitch."

Mr Dolheguy said shortly after his son's death his father also died, causing him to be further distracted from his business.

"Looking back, everything, all the finances, seemed to be controlled by her. I couldn't even buy a coffee without a receipt. I thought the tight controls were a good thing but really she just wanted to make sure there was more money for her."

Mr Dolheguy said he went out of his way to accom-modate Dawson in the workplace.

She was allowed to take her dog to work and was given time off when needed.

He has since recouped about $4000.

At sentencing, Judge Denise Clark said Dawson's extended offending was marked by "a degree of callousness".

The judge also declined an appli-cation by Dawson for permanent name supp-ression, citing the principle of open justice.

Defence counsel Wayne Dollimore said Dawson had struggled with dep-ression since 1993 and required the support of mental health services.

He said Dawson had used the stolen funds to pay bills, school fees and the costs of sporting activities.

There were no signs Dawson had used the money to support a lavish lifestyle.

Attempts to contact Dawson for comment were unsuccessful.

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