The venue manager for a live entertainment venue in the inner west Perth suburb of Subiaco has been sentenced to a 12 month jail term for thieving up to $40,000 over a period of a year from the bar and restaurant.
As The Music Network’s Industrial Strength column reports, Michael Russell Burton, who was managing the Subiaco-situated Fire And Ice bar, pleaded guilty to pocketing tens of thousands of dollars over a 12-month period in 2011 and 2012 from the venue’s owners.
Speaking to The West Australian, Des McNeill says that Mr. Burton’s theft from the live entertainment venue he owned with his wife Maree had almost devastated their business while also taking an enormous toll on his personal health. He told the District Court that he couldn’t understand why their popular venue was losing money and only discovered the venue manager stealing after sifting through dozens of hours of security footage.
“Something was wrong and I couldn’t put my finger on it,” says Mr McNeill, “it took six to eight weeks of going through footage from random dates, quiet or busy, and the puzzle started to fit together.” “Something was wrong and I couldn’t put my finger on it – it took six to eight weeks of going through footage… and the puzzle started to fit together.” – Des McNeill, Venue Owner
The Western Australian publican says that as a result of his employee’s theft, damaging the finances of his business, that he believes theft in the hospitality industry is all too common. An opinion echoed by District Court Judge Jeremy Curthoys, who in handing down Mr Burton’s 12 month jail term said employers needed to be able to trust their staff, noting traded can be brought “to a grinding halt if employees cannot be trusted.”
“I do regard your conduct as serious because of the severe impact on the McNeills because of your persistent conduct, which was over a very extended period, and because of the absence of any real reason for your conduct, to which I can only ascribe that it was greed,” Judge Curthoys told Mr Burton, who was ordered to pay $39,600 in compensation to his former employer.
“If you are doing this, you will be caught,” said Mr McNeill, adding that the issue of employee theft “must be talked about more to stop it. It impedes on a lot more than just the bottom line and with a growing industry, we’ve got to take a stand.”
The WA Chief Executive of the Australian Hotels Association, Mr Bradley Woods, did not share Mr McNeill’s views, saying theft in the hospitality industry did not occur frequently and that it was the responsibility of owners to use systems to minimise risk and make thievery easier to detect.
