Overwhelmed by remorse and concerned about the effect on her family, Katie Watson pleaded guilty to a $517,000 fraud perpetrated on her employer Allied Petroleum, only to find she had also pleaded guilty and been convicted of theft; a further charge that police had withdrawn after offering no evidence.
The $327 theft conviction was quashed on appeal to the High Court which then confirmed her two year four month jail term for the $517,000 fraud.
The court was told 37 year old Katie Dianne Ruth Watson worked at the Wiri office of Allied Petroleum, one of a small team of four employees at that site. Over nearly a decade, she worked her way up to office manager and inventory controller.
From this position she perpetrated three different frauds: overstocking courier bags and prepaid envelopes used by Allied and selling the excess on Trade Me; stealing oils and lubricants from Allied stock, selling these items on Trade Me; and using her company credit card to buy Countdown gift cards, supposedly for use as staff performance incentives but keeping the cards for her own use.
The court was told Watson has a gambling addiction. She admitted to the frauds and assisted Allied’s investigation once she came under suspicion.
The $517,000 fraud netted Watson a personal profit of some $240,000. The stock taken from Allied was sold at a substantial discount to market price when listed on Trade Me.
Only $16,000 was available as reparations; the current balance of her Kiwisaver account.
Watson v. Police – High Court (24.05.24)
24.134