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Desperate Debtor Stole £21,000 from Employers
Caernarfon Crown Court (pictured) heard recently how an office manager deeply in debt stole over £21,000 from his employer out of desperation.
Christopher Grafton had amassed personal debts of £70,000, which he was unable to repay. As a result, he began stealing from the village garage in Gwynedd, said defence counsel Brian Treadwell.
Judge Philip Richards told Mr Grafton that his behaviour had been “despicable”, before sentencing him to a 12-month jail term, suspended for two years.
Mr Grafton admitted some 12 counts of theft and asked for 196 other offences to be taken into consideration.
He was ordered to do 150 hours of community service and pay some £8,400 compensation to his erstwhile employer.
“You systematically stole money from the business which couldn’t afford to suffer the losses you imposed. You couldn’t complain if I sent you straight to prison,” warned the judge.
He went on to say that a sum of £1,200 seized by police would be returned to the garage — R J Williams & Sons of Talsarnau — in the next 28 days and ordered the defendant to repay £300 a month to the business until the outstanding compensation was paid.
The judge also gave the garage owners leave to take civil action against Mr Grafton for the outstanding balance.
To get out of debt Mr Grafton would have been better off with a secured loan rather than a stay in a secure facility at Her Majesty’s pleasure.
Loan News posted on 20 June 2008
