Home detention for theft from Dunedin nightclub

A nightclub manager who fleeced his friend and business owner of more than $20,000 has been sentenced to home detention.

Zane Hoffman (30) denied a charge of theft by a person in a special relationship but a jury found him guilty at trial before Dunedin District Court.

Judge Michael Crosbie this morning slapped him with a term of three months' home detention, 150 hours' community detention and ordered him to pay back the entire sum that was stolen from Boogie Nites.

“It was cynical offending that took advantage of an extremely busy time,” he said.

The offending took place over a week in June last year.

The bar's opening was synchronised with re-orientation week at the start of the university's second semester.

“Local knowledge tells us it's a week of festivities,” Judge Crosbie said.

Over the busy week, the bar turned over $55,034, more than $32,000 in eftpos sales.

But when the owner of the bar returned from overseas, there was a little more than $1000 in cash.

Hoffman said he had spent approximately $2000 on items for the bar, leaving a shortfall of $20,143.

The cash takings were kept in a cupboard and supposed to be banked by the manager but that did not happen.

It was “perhaps not the best security arrangement”, the judge said, but denounced Hoffman's opportunistic swindling.

As of this morning, his lawyer Jim Takas confirmed his client continued to deny the offending and would appeal against his conviction – his first blemish on a previously clean record.

Judge Crosbie said Hoffman's offending had placed a large financial burden on the business owner.

“It's also affected his attitude towards other staff. He now struggles to leave his business in the hands of a manager and there has been a negative flow-on effect to his life and health,” he said.

“Most importantly he feels betrayed by a person he considered a friend.”

Mr Takas asked the court to sentence Hoffman to community detention to allow him to work and pay back the money he had stolen.

But he confirmed the 30-year-old was not currently employed.

“It's difficult to find work with this hanging over his head,” Mr Takas said.

Judge Crosbie was unconvinced.

“I don't regard community detention as appropriate response – that would be insufficient deterrent sentence,” he said.

Hoffman did not have the cash to repay the full amount but would do so in instalments, the court heard.

 

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