Staff 'kept In The Dark'
Illawarra Mercury
Wednesday February 27, 2008
PORT Kembla Golf Club staff were kept in the dark about how much cash was kept in the safe each night by a former manager accused of stealing more than $72,000 from the club, Wollongong District Court heard yesterday.
Several staff members told the court they spoke to former manager Franc Turski about the cessation of daily cash counts and of Turski not providing staff with a figure showing how much money was being kept in the safe.One club employee, Greg Claydon, said: "There's only so many times you want to beat your head against a wall."Fellow employee Lee Mellor said staff never knew the exact amount being held each night in the safe after Turski became manager.However, under previous management they always knew how much was kept on the premises.Turski, 38, has pleaded not guilty to stealing $72,759 from the club but guilty to altering the club's financial records to conceal the shortfall in cash.The Albion Park resident maintained he covered up the missing money as he was trying to find it and that he was not the only person with access to the safe.Three club employees told the court they had their own safe keys, but they said they never left it completely unattended.They also alleged they had seen Turski using the poker machines at the golf club and at Shellharbour Workers Club.However, under cross-examination, Lake Illawarra Detective Senior Constable Matthew Woods said his investigation had found no evidence of Turski spending excessive amounts of money on gambling or holidays.And the inquiries did not uncover a large accumulation of funds in Turski's bank account.The prosecution wrapped up its case yesterday and the trial will continue before Judge Paul Conlon today.
© 2008 Illawarra Mercury
