Over a period of more than four years, Ballarat’s Jennifer Berrigan, 53, stole $422,000 from Summerfield Wines by duplicating payments made to a variety of companies from their bank account into her own.

In Ballarat Magistrates Court yesterday, she pleaded guilty to eight charges of theft and will proceed to the County Court in Ballarat for a plea hearing on a date to be fixed.

Documents tendered to the court showed that Berrigan, a self-employed bookkeeper who has provided services to various businesses in Ballarat and surrounds, began her electronic theft trail in January 2006 with a $750 internet transfer.

The documents show that when that payment went undetected, she continued to regularly transfer money into her own account, gradually increasing the amount over time.

Charge sheets tendered to the court show that payments processed rose from more than $75,000 in 2007 to more than $143,000 in 2008.

Berrigan’s employment at the winery was terminated in December 2009 but she continued to access Summerfield’s account to transfer money to herself.

During the first three months of last year, she stole a further $65,000 from her former employer before she was finally arrested and charged.

In the documents tendered to the court, Detective Senior Constable Barry Hills of Ballarat’s Criminal Investigation Unit said his investigation revealed that Berrigan had withdrawn the funds at various pokie outlets in Ballarat and poured the money into the machines.

Magistrate Andrew Capell committed Berrigan to the County Court for sentencing yesterday after she formally entered her guilty plea to the eight theft charges. A date is yet to be fixed.