Bookkeeper for famous Aussie surfers jailed for stealing more than $1 million

The bookkeeper for Australian surfers Tyler, Owen and Michael Wright has been jailed for stealing more than $1 million from the famous family.

Shane Hatton was employed by the Wrights in 2011 and over a 10-year period made 700 transfers from her clients' accounts worth $1.5 million.

She then spent this on horse racing websites as part of her gambling addiction.

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Hatton came clean in 2020 after Owen Wright questioned discrepancies in his accounts.

"I had enough of living a double life," Hatton told the court when she was questioned why it took a decade to confess.

"The addiction had taken over. I didn't feel like I could stop."

Following the confession, Hatton went through 15 boxes of bank records, highlighting each of her transactions before sending the documents to the Wright family.

Hatton pleaded guilty and said she is sickened to think of the damage she has done.

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In a letter to the court, Owen Wright revealed he falsely accused his parents of the missing money.

"My relationships with my parents are still damaged because of the anger issues I had around this", he said.

He said the financial strain added insult to a brain injury suffered in 2015 while surfing.

"I was still being stolen from while I could barely walk and while doctors were saying I would never work again... I wanted to retire but I couldn't financially and fought back... risking my life in the process," the statement read.

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Hatton has been jailed for a minimum of three years for what the judge described as deliberate and calculated crimes.

The mother-of-two has already repaid $100,000 but has now been ordered to pay a further $650,000, which only accounts for around half of what she stole from the Wright family.