Former accounts manager spared jail after defrauding Ashton company of £667k

A former accounts manager has escaped prison despite being found guilty of stealing £667,000 from an Ashton business.

Sandra Greaves appeared before Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court today charged with Fraud by Abuse of Position after she used her job at Mockridge Labels to fund her gambling habits.

The company say her actions very nearly sent them bankrupt after 54 years of trading.

She was sentenced to 18 months in prison, which was suspended for 24 months, and must undertake 15 days of rehabilitation activity - a sentence which has disappointed those at Mockridge Labels.

Greaves was employed at the company between 2004 & 2018 and oversaw invoicing and collection of payments, payments to suppliers and payment of wages.

They were only made aware of her actions in 2018 when suppliers contacted them about unpaid invoices. A thorough internal investigation uncovered that Greaves had paid money into several bank accounts bearing her own name and redirected funds to others.

Following the investigation she was dismissed from the company and the case was passed onto Greater Manchester Police.

During the disciplinary meeting with Mockridge Labels Sandra admitted stealing petty cash from the company safe, ordering shopping vouchers to keep for herself and moving money into her own account to use for gambling.

Mockridge Ltd say that her actions put them in a perilous position and caused them to lose their excellent credit rating as well as good standing with suppliers. It also meant that new investment in the company couldn’t go ahead due to lack of capital.

Winnings from the gambling were used to pay suppliers and other fees. The total loss to the company was around £105k 

John Butler, HR manager at Mockridge Labels & Nameplates Ltd, said: “Her actions quite simply put the future of the business in jeopardy which could have resulted in the loss of around 50 jobs

“Thankfully, thanks mainly to the owners determination and with the support of our dedicated and loyal workforce, we have managed to turn things around.”

Incredibly, during the internal investigation Greaves wrote to the found of the company, Michael Mockridge, asking to be reinstated with a pay rise if she made repayments.

Speaking before the sentencing, John said: “It’s been a very traumatic time for the employees.

“People had concerns about job security, but the company has survived this incident.

“Mike Mockridge feels betrayed and let down by what has happened but at the same time he’s appreciative of how the employees have pulled together and showed their strength through what has been a tough time.”

The extent of her theft meant that wage increases for other employees had to be delayed and new equipment for manufacturing had to be put on the back-burner.

“We haven’t been able to keep at the forefront of the industry where our competitors have had the edge over the last couple of years” said John.

“No company, especially one this size, can substantiate a loss of over £650,000.”

After today’s sentencing, John says that the company are unhappy that Sandra avoided a custodial sentence and will be lodging an appeal with the CPS.