Introduction:
A small retail store in Melbourne noticed a significant drop in profits over the past few months. The owner suspected that an employee was stealing from the store, but couldn’t determine who it was. The store owner decided to hire a polygraph examiner to conduct a lie detector test on all employees to determine who was responsible for the theft.
The Test:
The examiner conducted a series of tests, focusing on specific questions related to the theft. All employees, including the suspected employee, were tested. The suspected employee showed significant signs of deception during the test, leading the examiner to believe that they were likely the one responsible for the theft.
The Confession:
The examiner presented the results to the store owner and confronted the suspected employee. The employee initially denied any wrongdoing but eventually confessed to the theft. The employee had been stealing small amounts of cash from the cash register over a period of several months. The employee apologized and promised to repay the money.
The Outcome:
The store owner terminated the employee’s employment and pressed charges for theft. The evidence gathered from the polygraph test was used in the court case and helped secure a conviction. The employee was ordered to repay the stolen money and was sentenced to community service.
Conclusion:
The use of a polygraph test in employee theft cases can be an effective tool to identify and confront suspects. However, it’s important to note that polygraph tests are not admissible in court in Australia, and the results cannot be used as the sole evidence to convict someone of a crime. Nonetheless, the results can be used to gather further evidence and potentially lead to a confession. In this case, the polygraph test helped identify the employee responsible for the theft, and the evidence gathered was used to secure a conviction.