A golf pro embezzled £32,000 from bosses at a Fife sporting business to feed a gambling habit.
Eugene Liebenberg took the cash while working at Cluny Activities – incorporating Craig Donnelly Golf – near Kirkcaldy, between January 1 last year and February 16 this year.
The 41-year-old appeared at the town’s sheriff court for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to the embezzlement.
Sheriff Steven Borthwick handed Liebenberg 300 hours of unpaid work and a four-month tagging order as a direct alternative to custody.
The sheriff told him: “The reason I am doing that is in recognition of your guilty plea.”
‘Consistent pattern’ of refunds
Prosecutor Annie MacDonald told the court that in December last year Liebenberg’s boss noticed a large sum of cash missing.
Liebenberg admitted taking it and arrangements were made to pay it back.
His boss started to look at other aspects of the business and noticed discrepancies linked to refunds, which are not typically offered, Ms MacDonald said.
He checked receipts from January of this year and noted a “consistent pattern” of refunds in that month.
The court heard that Thursdays and Sundays were days Liebenberg closed the Cluny Activities store and no one else was with him.
Liebenberg, who is originally from South Africa, was questioned by his boss but gave no further details and CCTV was checked.
Footage showed Liebenberg on the “terminal” looking like he was putting in an amount, then tapping his phone, and a receipt was printed which he binned.
Golf clubs for cash scam
Liebenberg met with his boss and confessed to a gambling problem and confirmed taking money from the company.
He said he could not remember when it started and what the total value was.
Bank statements showed the total amount taken was £32,000.
The fiscal said this came from customer transactions, refunds and “golf clubs for cash”.
Asked by Sheriff Borthwick why the case had been prosecuted at summary level, Ms MacDonald highlighted Liebenberg’s lack of previous convictions and cooperation as an explanation.
At the time of his court appearance, Liebenberg’s photograph is still on the staff section of the “golf pro shop” part of the Cluny Activities website under the heading “PGA golf professionals”.
His bio states he was PGA qualified in 2010 and has TrackMan (golf technology) certification as a level 2 performance coach.
Gambling
Defence lawyer Martin McGuire argued for a non-custodial sentence for first offender Liebenberg.
The solicitor said his client, of Winifred Street, Kirkcaldy, started gambling to try and boost his income.
Liebenberg was since dismissed from his employment, the court heard.
He had been due pay of £4,400 but his employers retained this, a decision Sheriff Borthwick said was understandable in the circumstances.
Mr McGuire said Leibenberg has a background as a golf director and was a proprietor of a golf store in South Africa.
He said Liebenberg’s current VISA expires in October.
The sheriff noted that because of Liebenberg‘s financial circumstances and status in relation to a VISA he is essentially without income, so he was not in a position to impose a financial element as punishment.
Instead, he imposed the four-month restriction of liberty order as a condition of the community payback order. During this time, Liebenberg must stay at home from 7pm-7am daily.
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