Ian Gordon Stubbings, 39, stole the money while working for Anglicare's Canberra and Goulburn office between 2007 and 2009.

He told the ACT Supreme Court he used the money to pay for internet chat sites he used for hours on end each night.

Stubbings said he felt ''a great sense of relief'' he'd been caught ''and forced to stop''.

The Kambah man pleaded guilty to six counts of obtaining property by deception yesterday.

Stubbings was an employee in the finance department for the non-profit organisation, but told the court he had since worked as a cleaner.

He claimed to have spent all of the money on pay-by-the-minute chat sites while living alone because he did not have many friends. The thefts occurred soon after a relationship breakdown.

Stubbings claimed the money through a series of fraudulent mileage claims and illegitimate invoices. Police identified 89 separate transactions over the 22 months, ranging from $101 to more than $9000.

He told Justice John Nield he regretted his actions and felt he had let down his family and those he worked with.

Justice Nield will sentence Stubbings tomorrow.

For more on this story, including details of the tearful testimony of Stubbings' mother, Barbara, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.