Accountant stole £83,000 which contributed to demise of Wakefield company
An accountant swindled more than £83,000 from the firm where she worked and which helped plounge it into liquidation.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Sarah Staton had “contributed” to the demise of Aquados Ltd in Normanton after draining the cash over a three-year period.
She admitted theft from employer and escaped with a suspended sentence.
Her offending only came to light after her ex husband approached the owner of the firm, which produced eco-friendly laundry and dishwashing products, years after it folded.
Staton was employed as the accounts manager for the company on Mildred Silver Way between October 2010 and November 2013, shortly before an administrator was appointed.
The owners were busy with the production aspect of the business and had complete trust in Staton to deal with the finances, prosecutor Tom Jackson told the court.
Seven years later, the former owner was approached by Staton’s ex husband who showed him bank statements that recorded large sums of money being paid into Staton’s account.
Staton had created false invoices and paid the money from the company directly into her own account.
Her ex husband said he had no idea she was stealing the money because she had control of the banks accounts they shared.
Staton, of Pleasley Road, Rotherham, was arrested and interviewed in November 2020 and confessed to stealing the money by creating “dummy” invoices.
She then claimed she was subjected to abuse from her ex husband and was forced into stealing to fund cars and a lavish honeymoon. She also claimed he would threaten to contact the business owner if she left him.
But Judge Neil Clark was quick to point out that it was not a family court and could not take those allegations at face value.
The amount she had stolen came to more than £83,305.
Judge Clark said that Staton, who is now 39-year-old, had contributed to the company’s demise, but it was not all of her fault.
Mitigating, Satpal Roth-Sharma said Staton “accepted her wrongdoing” and was “remorseful”.
She added: “She is an intelligent woman, she has worked hard throughout her career.
“She is sorry but she can’t go back and change anything.”
Judge Clark jailed her for 24 months, suspended for 24 months - the maximum-length sentence that is permitted to be suspended.
She was also given 240 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days with probation. A timetable for Proceeds of Crime Act proceeds were set in an effort to recoup the money.