A Leicester man has been jailed for two years after admitting stealing £151,417 from the business consultancy where he worked.
The news site, This is Leicestershire, reported that 58 year-old Michael Aird forged signatures on 82 cheques and paid them into two of his bank accounts over a two-year period, between January 2007 and June 2009.
Aird admitted the theft, explaining that he took the money “out of desperation” as his credit card debts spiralled out of control, leaving him with £7,000-a-month repayments.
Leicester Crown Court also heard how Aird altered the company accounts at Qdos Consulting Ltd in order to “cover his tracks”, according to Victoria Rose, prosecuting.
The business consultancy wised up to the deceit when a query arose about a £3,000 cheque paid into the defendant’s account. An inquiry soon followed.
Aird, who earned an annual salary of £35,000, plus benefits, said that he feared he would lose his family home as a result of his debts.
Gareth Weeton, in mitigation, said that bankruptcy proceedings have now commenced against his client and he could indeed end up losing his home. He described the father-of-two as a “good, decent family man”, adding that it was “a sad case”.
Ms Rose confirmed that the defendant had no assets available for the court to confiscate in order to compensate the business consultancy.
However, Judge Michael Pert QC was unrepentant. Passing judgement, he stated: “It’s a great shame to see a man such as you appearing in the Crown Court.
“I’m told you suffered serious financial difficulties a few years ago. So did the rest of the country and you chose this particular route as a way of getting out of it. It has to be prison.”
Masthaven is a competitive and quick way to meet your short term loan needs.
Related posts: