Charges over pokie cash theft

Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

The owner of a sports bar has been charged with stealing pokie money earmarked for community groups.

Shane Michael Norton, 46, is the sole director of the Brownsy Sports Bar Ltd - also known as the Browns Bay Motor Inn - and Cowboys and Indians Ltd, trading as Pat's Garage, both on Auckland's North Shore.

He appeared in the North Shore District Court this month facing six charges relating to the theft of $118,900 of pokie proceeds meant for the Wellington-based Pelorus Trust, a charitable organisation raising funds for sports, philanthropic and charity grants from gaming machines. The charges, laid by the Department of Internal Affairs, allege the offences were committed between June and December last year.

Both venues ceased trading last year. The Brownsy Sports Bar was put into liquidation on February 24 in the Auckland High Court.

Norton entered no plea and was bailed to a Helensville address, the Kaipara Tavern, until September 1. A staff member at the tavern said Norton had not been at the tavern recently. Other attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Charges were laid after pokie profits were not banked into the Pelorus Trust account.

It is alleged that, as his financial situation worsened, Norton used money held in the gaming machine accounts until there was insufficient funds to pay the Pelorus Trust.

The Department of Internal Affairs would not comment because the case is before the court.

rebecca.milne@hos.co.nz