$1.2m pokie thief escapes jail

An Invercargill woman who stole $1.2 million of pokie machine money during a five-year period escaped a jail sentence when she appeared in Invercargill District Court this morning.

The court heard Sharon Maree Ogilvy, 51, had used the proceeds destined for the Lion Foundation to prop up her failing business but had been unaware of the true extent of the money taken.

In its submission, the Serious Fraud Office said Ogilvy had described her actions as "robbing Peter to pay Paul", admitting that from almost day one of operating the machines at the Strathern Inn she had banked less than the actual the gaming machine proceeds, even though she knew it was wrong.

In total, Ogilvy took more than $1.2 million but, after offsetting site rental payments, the net loss to the Lion Foundation was $811,000.

Judge Brian Callaghan noted Ogilvy had not used the money to feed an alcohol or gambling addiction and was not fully aware of the amount of the shortfall.

He said her offending was a breach of trust and that, with reparation not being a possibility, she had deprived the Lion Foundation and community groups of that money.

However, Judge Callaghan said Ogilvy was a first time offender, was not a risk to the community and had the added responsibility of looking after her husband who was suffering ill health.

Given the special circumstances of the case, he decided jail was not necessary, sentencing Ogilvy to 11 months' home detention and 250 hours' community work.