Graeme Geoffery Pettitt's counsel, Anne Stevens, had asked that Pettitt be remanded on bail for sentence. She suggested home detention would be an appropriate penalty and bail would assist Pettitt in selling his home, to help repay the university, his former employer.
But Judge Stephen Coyle said it was a "quantum leap" to assume anyone who stole more than $200,000 would receive a sentence of home detention. He remanded Pettitt (61), unemployed, of Mosgiel, for sentence on October 23.
There was a distinct possibility he would be sentenced to imprisonment and Judge Coyle said he was not satisfied bail was necessary to assist the sale of Pettitt's home.
Pettitt yesterday admitted through counsel eight charges of accessing the university's electronic accounting system and taking money between March 2005 and March this year.
He had invented a fictitious creditor so he could pay himself almost $240,000 over seven years.
He told police he had a gambling problem and took the money to pay debts.
He has had name suppression until now but did not ask for that to be continued yesterday.
The summary of facts said university financial services division staff noticed in June several unusual electronic payments to a creditor called Hadaad Syndicate. There was no supporting documentation and all payments had been made by Pettitt.
It was found he had set up a bank account in the name of Hadaad Syndicate and had made 72 fraudulent payments into it, totalling $238,846.61.
The payments were for irregular amounts, ranging from $645 to $9982.01 and were made systematically, usually monthly or every second month.
They totalled $32,515.38 in 2005, $41,995.42 in 2006, $41,729.08 in 2007, $37,376.36 in 2008, $44,311.70 in 2009, $22,130.79 in 2010, $13,850.50 last year and $4937.38 this year.
Interviewed by police, Pettitt said there was $100,000 in a control account which no-one knew about and he started taking money from there. He also invoiced various university departments for postage they had already been charged for and created a fake journal to transfer money into a suspense account, from which he paid the fictitious creditor.
He was servicing debt, had a gambling problem and was embarrassed about what he had done.
Ms Stevens said Pettitt had stopped gambling, was attending the Oasis problem gambling treatment centre and the community alcohol and drug service, and had been working with a psychotherapist.
He had authorised the return of his superannuation to the university and would also give the proceeds of the sale of his home, which was on the market.
It was a "distinct possibility" his sentence would be one of home detention, based on sentences of home detention for others who had taken similar or greater amounts through similar offending.
A real estate agency had said it would assist the sale of Pettitt's home if he could remain in it while it was being sold, she said.
