A Rotorua payroll clerk overpaid herself because she believed she was worth more than she was being paid.
Melanie Ann Skelton, 17, pleaded guilty in the Rotorua District Court this week to one charge each of accessing a computer system for dishonest purposes, taking a document for pecuniary advantage and using a document for pecuniary advantage.
Skelton worked for Seager Roading and Earthmoving and was able to make adjustments to workers' pay and enter hours off timesheets.
Between January 26 and February 19 Skelton twice increased her pay rate and increased her working hours from 30 to 40 hours a week. On February 18 she went to a neighbouring business where she took a blank cheque and cashed it at a bank for $350.
Skelton told police she thought she was worth more than the $13 an hour she was being paid. Her lawyer, Nicky Utting, told the court Skelton had paid back the $800 she was not entitled to and was remorseful.
