Prison sentence for man who stole from employer

A former Woodside warehouse co-ordinator at the North West Shelf Project has been given a 12-month suspended prison sentence for fraud and stealing from his employer.

Former NWS maintenance fields services co-ordinator Michael David Jackson was convicted of six counts of obtaining property by fraud, two counts of gaining benefit by fraud and two counts of stealing as an employee in the Karratha Magistrates Court on Thursday, June 16.

Jackson pleaded guilty to all charges.

The offences all occurred between mid-2014 and early 2015.

During that period Jackson, a long-term Woodside employee whose position allowed him to purchase and dispose of assets without being subject to usual security measures, stole a company donga and arranged to have it installed on his property as an extra bedroom and also stole a sea container for a friend.

The fraud offences arose from Jackson using his company credit card to buy goods for a family member’s 4WD, fittings for the donga, and equipment for a shack he was part-owner of.

West Pilbara Detectives began investigating Jackson in July 2015 at the request of Woodside after they had made internal inquiries.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jon Munday said in light of the amount of industry in the wider Karratha area, the case showed stealing from an employer could lead to a prison sentence.