Rajwinder Kaur, a supermarket supervisor in Hamilton has been sentenced to ten months of home detention for stealing cigarettes worth $125,000.
She earlier pleaded guilty to four charges of stealing and possession of tobacco products to which she wasn’t entitled, Fairfax Media reported.
The stolen cigarettes were taken to her family store run by her husband, Kevin Sohal.
She has also been told to “immediately” pay $35,000 that the family could put together, in reparations as part of her sentence.
Hamilton District Court Judge David Wilson said it was “a very high level of breach of trust” on part of 37-year-old Kaur.
During her eight years at the company, Rajwinder had risen to a position of seniority and she was very popular at the supermarket.
Her lawyer told the court that after her husband was left unable to work in a great capacity due to a debilitating injury and some other health issues, she began to steal carton of cigarettes to stock them at her family store.
The Judge commuted her sentence from 20 months in jail to 10 months of home detention in view of her reparation offer and her remorse.
The supermarket owner, Suresh Chimanlal, said he was extremely disappointed with the sentence Rajwinder has been given.
"It's a long way from being a reasonable sentence, considering the level of the crime.
"I've been a business owner in the Waikato for 21 years, I have staff who depend on me for their livelihoods, and this has a huge impact on us.
"My wife and I put our heart and soul into our store. This is not a small amount of money – it's a huge cost to us and we're very upset,” Fairfax Media quoted him as saying.
