A 40-YEAR-OLD single mother was jailed yesterday for stealing more that $35,000 from her employer during a period of about six years.
Using cheques and Internet banking, Fiona Barnett of Alfredton stole money while working at Pasture Seeds in Ballarat, the court heard.
Yesterday she appeared at an appeal hearing at the Ballarat County Court facing 11 charges of obtaining property by deception.
Crown Prosecutor Tim Doherty said Ms Barnett was first employed by Pasture Seeds in 1998 and began stealing money from her employer from February 2000.
The company's loss of money was discovered during an audit in February 2006.
Defence counsel for Barnett, Ben Ihles said his client, a single mother of two, had been struggling to cope.
He said the money did not go towards extravagances, but to pay mounting bills.
"In relation to the offences she was trying to be too much to too many people at once," Mr Ihles said.
He described his client as "absolutely petrified" of failing and said she found it difficult to seek help from those closest to her.
Mr Ihles said Barnett had written a five page letter of apology to her former employer.
"My client has shown a very deep and very real sense of remorse," he said.
Judge Anthony Howard said Barnett had been treated very leniently by the Magistrate's Court earlier this year.
He said she abused the trust of her employer time and time again.
"Her offending has devastated them financially and personally," he said.
The defence decided to abandon the appeal hearing and the sentence handed down by the Ballarat Magistrates Court in January this year was reinstated.
Under the magistrates court order Barnett was convicted and sentenced to six months' jail. Two months of the prison term will be served immediately and the other four months will be suspended for 18 months. Barnett was also
ordered to compensate her former employer for the money stolen.