Iqaluit (Mar 10/03) - A man walked out of court last week facing house arrest, probation and having to pay back the $50,000 he stole.

On March 5, Errol Grant Saxon was sentenced to an 18-month conditional sentence. For six of these months, he will be under house arrest, leaving only to go to and from work.

He will serve 18 months probation once the conditional sentence is complete. Saxon was also ordered to repay all the money he stole from his former employer.

"I think it is significantly important that Mr. Saxon pay back that money as quickly as he can," said Nunavut's senior judge, Beverley Browne.

Saxon will make payments every month until the entire amount is paid. He'll be paying it back for a long time. Between March 1, 2001, and July 30, 2002, Saxon stole more than $50,000 from his employer, Stu Kennedy at DJ Specialties. Saxon managed the small grocery store and was authorized to make deposits. When he went to the bank, he diverted the cash for personal use.

"The feeling of betrayal is a devastating feeling," Kennedy told the court. "It's a year's salary for me but it's a whole lot more for our other employees. They recognize when somebody steals from a small company like ours, they're stealing from each and everyone of us."

Browne said because Saxon pleaded guilty early in the process, she felt he was ready to accept responsibility for his crime.

"Criminal convictions are in themselves punishments," she said.

If Saxon breaches any of the conditions of his sentence, he will go to jail.

Browne said betraying the trust of an employer must be taken seriously. She said small businesses like DJ Specialties would never be able to survive in Iqaluit if their own employees were stealing from them all the time.