A young woman, who stole more than $10,000 from a former employer, has already paid back some of the money, Ontario Court Justice John Condon heard Thursday.
Hannah Sisson has made $1,519 in restitution and indicated to the judge that she planned to make a further $800 payment following her court appearance.
The 24-year-old was convicted of fraud over $5,000, stemming from incidents that occurred between Feb. 1 and May 9, 2022 when she was a Home Hardware employee in Sault Ste. Marie.
Condon imposed six-months house arrest -- a sentence recommended by the Crown.
Prosecutor Trent Wilson called for jail, but indicated Sisson should be permitted to serve it in the community.
Fraud involving an employer is a breach of trust and is serious, the judge told Sisson.
"It usually results in jail."
Businesses operate on the premise that they can trust employees to handle money, he said.
Items, totalling $10,084 were reportedly returned to the business, but there was a discrepancy in the inventory, Condon said.
This started to occur not long after Sisson was employed at the Second Line East business and was detected by other employees, he noted.
Condon said although such an offence usually involves custody, the accused is a first-time offender and there is no risk to the community if she serves a conditional sentence.
During her sentence, Sisson can only leave her residence for work, medical emergencies and six hours every Saturday night to obtain the necessities of life.
She will be on probation for 18 months, with conditions that include remaining away from Home Hardware.
As well, Sisson must also make $500 per month restitution payments, beginning March 24, until she has repaid all the money.
