COMPULSIVE gambling drove a mother of two to steal more than $200,000 in petty cash from the convenience store she managed.
Yau Miu-kuen, 37, pleaded guilty to stealing from the Ma On Shan Circle K store.
As branch manager, Yau was given sums of money in coins each Monday so her store would have enough change for the week.
The District Court heard how in February a discrepancy in the 'change' account was discovered by the company's regional accounting department. The loss was tracked down to the Yiu On Estate branch.
On March 7, when Yau was confronted by the company on the massive loss, she broke down and admitted stealing $217,600 since January 1994. Yau said she was driven to it to cover up her large gambling debts.
The case, before Judge McMahon, was adjourned for two weeks for sentencing.
