Worksop bookkeeper siphoned off 30 per cent of firm's profits

A Worksop bookkeeper who embezzled nearly £21,000 from the accounts of a small company was paying off gambling debts, a court heard.
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Kevin Kent’s fraud was uncovered by his replacement after he resigned from the sports staddle firm in April 2019, citing "personal problems."

Prosecutor Dawn Pritchard told Nottingham Crown Court how Kent siphoned money from the director's expense account and duplicated invoices between April 2017 and May 2019.

"He was paying money to Sky Bets and debt management companies,” she said.

Nottingham Crown CourtNottingham Crown Court
Nottingham Crown Court

In a statement, the company director told how Kent's thefts accounted for 30 per cent of the company's profits and was a "significant loss" for a "small hardworking company."

It cost them £7,000 in additional bookkeeping fees to trace the misdirected payments, she said, and the firm's reputation had been damaged.

"He had broken trust in his position of responsibility," she said.

Nicola Hornby, mitigating, said Kent, of previous good character, was still employed as a bookkeeper and had been open with the firm about the offence.

"He now has a formal debt management plan to help him pay his debts,” she said. "He is not gambling at all because there is no sport to gamble on.

"He recognises it is not something he can dabble in and hope to manage. It has the propensity to escalate."

Kent, 37, of Manor Grove, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position.

Judge Julie Warburton sentenced him to 18 months, suspended for two years, with 180 hours of unpaid work and ten rehabilitation days.