ID :
175653
Fri, 04/15/2011 - 15:10
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/175653
The shortlink copeid
Fifteen boss fire was 'unsophisticated'
SYDNEY (AAP) - Apr 15 - A man who burned down the office of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's Melbourne restaurant committed an "impulsive, unsophisticated, desperate" act while upset over the death of a former partner, a court has heard.
Kevan Stralow was the general manager of Fifteen when he stole $23,000 of the restaurant's takings during 2008 and burned down the office in a bid to cover up his crime.
A Victorian County Court jury on Wednesday found the 34-year-old guilty of 16 counts of theft and one count of arson over the million-dollar blaze that destroyed the Flinders Lane building where the office was located.
The trial heard that soon after joining Oliver's staff in January 2008, Stralow would miss regular banking dates and deposit the money a few days late.
Prosecutors told the two-week trial that Stralow stole the money and gambled it away.
At a pre-sentencing hearing on Friday, Stralow's lawyer Mark Regan told the court his client was a man of previous good character who became unresponsive and distant following the death of a former girlfriend.
"We have a man of otherwise high achievement, a man of previous unblemished character, whose life has been touched by personal tragedy," Mr Regan said.
"There was a general deterioration in his overall performance ... not simply the banking.
"You can find that his performance across the board was increasingly unresponsive, increasingly distant.
"What is not evident here is that he was the crafty bookkeeper type."
Mr Regan said the fire was doomed to fail.
"Had there been any significant pre-planning, your honour... would you necessarily set fire to your own desk? Wouldn't an offender try and be more sophisticated?"
Prosecutor Fran Dalziel said Stralow's crimes were aggravated by the fact that he was in a senior position and stole from a business with charitable links.
She recommended he be sentenced to a maximum jail term of four to six years, with a non-parole period of three to five years.
The matter was adjourned to May 23.
Kevan Stralow was the general manager of Fifteen when he stole $23,000 of the restaurant's takings during 2008 and burned down the office in a bid to cover up his crime.
A Victorian County Court jury on Wednesday found the 34-year-old guilty of 16 counts of theft and one count of arson over the million-dollar blaze that destroyed the Flinders Lane building where the office was located.
The trial heard that soon after joining Oliver's staff in January 2008, Stralow would miss regular banking dates and deposit the money a few days late.
Prosecutors told the two-week trial that Stralow stole the money and gambled it away.
At a pre-sentencing hearing on Friday, Stralow's lawyer Mark Regan told the court his client was a man of previous good character who became unresponsive and distant following the death of a former girlfriend.
"We have a man of otherwise high achievement, a man of previous unblemished character, whose life has been touched by personal tragedy," Mr Regan said.
"There was a general deterioration in his overall performance ... not simply the banking.
"You can find that his performance across the board was increasingly unresponsive, increasingly distant.
"What is not evident here is that he was the crafty bookkeeper type."
Mr Regan said the fire was doomed to fail.
"Had there been any significant pre-planning, your honour... would you necessarily set fire to your own desk? Wouldn't an offender try and be more sophisticated?"
Prosecutor Fran Dalziel said Stralow's crimes were aggravated by the fact that he was in a senior position and stole from a business with charitable links.
She recommended he be sentenced to a maximum jail term of four to six years, with a non-parole period of three to five years.
The matter was adjourned to May 23.
