Gary Robert Johnson, 57, became emotional in the County Court dock on Wednesday when told by judge Irene Lawson his serious and protracted offending and self-indulgent spending warranted a jail term.

The court was earlier told Johnson already felt enormous guilt over the death of his wife of 33 years, who became ill when police raided their home in January and died in July.

Defence counsel Gary Hevey said Johnson hid his offending from his family and now blamed himself for the death of wife Jacqueline.

"What clearly marries up is the temporal connection of the two and if nothing else the humiliation and shame the accused feels (that) he might be part of his wife's downturn, and indeed death," Mr Hevey said.

Johnson abused his then position as financial controller at the Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens by siphoning the hotel's money into his account and the accounts of four other men between September 2007 and June last year.

He made 362 fund transfers to personally reap $413,000 and gave $199,000 to a male escort he shared a relationship with, prosecutor Daniel Porceddu said. The duo also took numerous trips to Sydney and Hamilton Island.

Most of the transfers were marked "From Gary" in the hotel's bank statements and sent directly to the 57-year-old's personal bank account and the accounts of at least three prostitutes and a personal trainer, the police's brief of evidence shows.

The scam began in 2006 - about a year after Johnson was hired by the Radisson - but came to an abrupt end in mid-2014 when management noticed the 4.5-star hotel was financially underperforming. An audit traced suspicious transactions to Mr Johnson.

Mr Porceddu said Johnson and his companion regularly dined and travelled together, and at one point the financial controller gave the man $15,000 to organise a birthday bash at Crown casino.

Johnson, who quit his job when an audit revealed his offending, pleaded guilty to eight counts of theft.

The male escort said he never knew of the thefts and told police he thought he was being paid from Johnson's work-related bonus account, the court heard.

Mr Hevey said his client for years lived a normal lifestyle of respectability until he developed neurological problems, which heightened his awareness of "his mortality and this fantasy life".

"He began to live what I might call a Walter Mitty lifestyle," Mr Hevey said.

Johnson's eldest daughter said she and her sister had enjoyed the perfect upbringing and that their parents had the "the perfect relationship. They were just the best mum and dad."

The court heard the offending was unsophisticated and Johnson always feared a "knock on the door".

The Radisson recouped the money through his mortgage and an insurance claim.

Mr Hevey urged Judge Lawson to consider a community corrections order, but she said such an order was inappropriate and remanded Johnson in custody to be sentenced on Friday.