February 04, 2013

Staff member on trial for theft, arson

By Anne Clarkson

An arson was a panicked response by a staff member after his employer found that more than $3000 cash had not been banked, the Crown alleged before a jury at the Christchurch District Court today.

The staff member, branch manager Anthony Dobson, 36, was charged with theft by a person in a special relationship and arson, after the Wicked Campers depot in Allen Street caught fire on July 6, 2010.???

Crown prosecutor Deirdre Elsmore told Judge David Saunders and the jury that the week before the fire, irregularities were found in the filing and banking being done by Dobson.

The branch manager was required to send computer and manual filing to the head office every day, and the money had to be banked every day, she said.

But Dobson, who had been working for Wicked Campers for less than three months, was asked about his failure to do so for five days in a row by the owner of the company on July 5.

On July 6 the owner phoned Dobson three times to ask him to?send the transaction sheets and bank the cash, but was told the fax machine was broken, Dobson had a gashed leg and needed medical attention, and that Dobson?s cell phone was flat, Ms Elsmore said.

Dobson banked over $2000 and sent through the missing transactions sheets, but the owner found there was over $3000 missing.

That evening Dobson assured he was the last to be left in the building and said he would lock up.

The Crown allege he lit a fire in his office, and another in the laundry area before he left the building.

The office and depot were engulfed in flames, and the asbestos in the roof caught fire. The damage to the office was severe.

Ms Elsmore said the actions were of a man under pressure, knowing his employer had found him out, and the arson was a panicked, not logical response. His motive was the missing cash.

Defence counsel Lee-Lee Heah said Dobson was interviewed by police and did not try to hide the fact he was the last employee to leave the premises before the fire. She said he had nothing to do with the fire, and maintained his innocence through the police interviews.

It was not until a couple of months after the fire that he was accused of stealing the cash from his employer, she said.

The trial is expected to continue into next week.