A police officer stole more than $200,000 (US$127,000) cash seized as evidence to fund a gambling habit and credit card debt.
Tracey Lee Butler, 58, got away with stealing from her western Sydney police station for nearly five years with her colleagues failing to carry out regular audits.
But Butler, who was formerly a senior constable who managed evidence at the Mount Druitt Police Station, will now spend at least the next 18 months behind bars.
Her downfall began in 2021 when police could not track down $18,000 (US$11,400) due to be returned to an accused person who was entitled to his cash back, with official records showing no record of the money.
A wider search found a number cash exhibits were not accounted for.
Butler pleaded guilty to an act of wilful misconduct as a holder of public office, admitting she'd stolen $209,730 (US$133,306) from more than 43 evidence bags between 2017 and 2022.
When arrested at the St Marys League Club in November 2022, she denied any involvement in the offending and told police: “Who me? I don’t know anything about that.”
Judge Guy Newton noted it was standard across NSW for police stations to audit their cash evidence on a monthly by a supervising duty officer, but that had not been done at Mount Druitt.
“Any audits carried out during the offender’s tenure in the exhibits office were carried out by her ... no duty officer or supervisor was ever physically present during the audits,” he said.
Judge Newton found Butler was stealing to fund a spiralling gambling habit and pay off debts, with her bank accounts overdrawn almost every month.
She was found to have lost $170,000 (US$108,000) gambling during the period of her offending.
Her lawyers had posted the emotional harm and loss experienced as a result of her offending was limited, and that she was not fully aware of the consequences of her actions.
Judge Newton dismissed those arguments and added the failure of other police to carry out audits of the evidence did not limit her culpability.
“It could be said the offender opportunistically took advantage of deficiencies in the system... in the expectation she would not be caught,” he said.
“Rather than faithfully executing her duties, she stole a large amount of money.”
The judge imposed a two-year, seven-month sentence with a non-parole period of 18 months.
Butler had been a police officer for 22 years before her arrest.
Following her arrest, the senior constable’s employment was suspended without pay.
In November 2023, Butler was removed from the police force under special powers held by the commissioner.
