Company accountant jailed for theft
A Norfolk accountant was convicted of theft and sentenced to 16 months' prison after admitting he stole tens of thousands from his employer.
According to the Eastern Daily Press, Mark Hewitt, an accountant earning more than £65,000 per year at Great Yarmouth-based SeaJacks, stole £80,000 in “dribs and drabs” after shares he bought from the company did not provide the returns he was expecting.
Norwich Crown Court heard that Hewitt used the stolen money to pay £10,500 towards a wedding reception that he subsequently cancelled, but still kept 56 bottles of wine. He also made payments into his personal bank account and paid off credit cards.
The accountant was rumbled after he left the firm and a new accountant uncovered the discrepancies, the court heard.
Hewitt has since repaid £60,000. Jonathan Morgans, defending Hewitt, said on his behalf: “He is of the belief that he has paid all the money back.”
Recorder Chistopher Makey jailed Hewitt for 16 months and said it had been “a serious breach of trust”, although he accepted that Hewitt’s claim that he had repaid the stolen cash in full.
Hewitt is an ACCA member but was suspended in June 2011 for “failing to do CPD”, according to an ACCA spokesperson.
The spokesperson said: “An independent assessor will review the case and we will assess what further steps we might take as a professional body. There are some sanctions we can impose, such a monetary fine or exclusion from membership.”
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