A hotel owner has faced court over the alleged theft of over $100k from inmates of the remand centre where he also worked, in an attempt to save his business.
Brenton Williams pleaded guilty to theft from a prison safe holding money for inmates of Adelaide Remand Centre, and from petty cash.
The court heard the thefts began early 2022, after Williams had accumulated debt of over $200k, mostly relating to his Traveller’s Rest Hotel.
He misappropriated more than $112k from the centre, and gambled vast amounts at Adelaide Casino, where he fed over $1 million through the pokies.
In July he failed to show up at the centre, where he was employed as a general manger by operator Serco, and was later arrested.
Fronting the District Court this week, Williams pleaded guilty, as Prosecutors described his actions as a gross breach of trust.
Sobbing as he appeared via video link, his lawyer detailed personal and financial hardship during the pandemic, explaining his client had become desperate as his business struggled during the COVID-19 shutdowns.
Beyond his role as the remand centre’s manager, Williams held several senior roles in other South Australian prisons and claimed he feared he could lose his job if he filed for bankruptcy. Instead, he opted to attempt to garner the money through gambling in “a hopeful attempt to claw his way back financially”.
When that didn’t work he turned to theft.
He is due to face Court again in March for sentencing.
