Finance director, 36, caught taking heroin at work is jailed for more than two years after stealing £21,000 to feed his drug habit in theft that cost four workers their jobs

• Richard Turner looted thousands of pounds of the Stockport company’s money
• Bosses uncovered scam after Turner was discovered taking heroin in the office
• Four staff were made redundant as a result of Turner’s actions as profits plunged
• Court heard Turner had 18 previous offences for theft and fraudulent behaviour 

A finance director who cost four employees their jobs after he looted thousands of pounds of company money to feed a secret heroin habit has been jailed for 27 months.

Richard Turner, 36, had been entrusted to hold the purse strings at a plant machinery hire firm in Stockport, Greater Manchester, which rents out construction equipment and was tasked with improving security on payments to the company.

Within a month of being hired by a plant machinery hire firm in Stockport, Greater Manchester Richard Turner (pictured) was diverting money from customers to his own bank account leading to a slump in profit margins and staff losing their jobs

However, within a month of being hired he was diverting money from customers to his own bank account leading to a slump in profit margins and staff losing their jobs.

Bosses at Perfect Associates Ltd in Hazel Grove, Stockport, uncovered the scam after Turner was fired when they discovered he was taking heroin at the office.

Investigations revealed he had stolen a total of £21,514.31 but profit margins slumped by almost £300,000 after senior staff had to spend several months checking financial records. Four staff were subsequently made redundant.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Turner formerly of Romiley, Stockport, now of Prestatyn, Clywd admitted theft by employee and fraud by abuse of position and was jailed for 27 months.

The court heard Turner had 18 previous offences on his record for theft and fraudulent behaviour relating to previous employment. 

The thefts took place between October and November 2017 after Turner was hired the previous September by the firm despite a history of stealing from previous employers.

Prosecuting Miss Juliet Berry said: ‘Mr Turner was hired as the finance manager and was also charged with improving the systems used by the company in terms of its finances. His job was to improve the use of systems the company used and make payments more secure.

 Bosses at Perfect Associates Ltd in Hazel Grove, Stockport, uncovered the scam after Turner (pictured above) was fired when they discovered he was taking heroin at the office

‘At first he made a good impression and during the first two weeks he made several valid suggestions.

‘But after two weeks he started to become unreliable. He would not turn up for work and when he did he would appear unwell and dishevelled.

‘He gave a number of explanations to employers that turned out to be untrue. He was discovered to be doing drugs in the work place. He was suspended and following a disciplinary hearing his employment was terminated on 11th December 2017.

‘When he left the company, other staff could not find the key for the petty cash tin. It was broken into and it was found that money was missing,’ Berry continued.

‘The finance director made some checks and it became apparent that Mr Turner had been creating a number of false invoices and had been paying that money into his own account. The total value of money taken was eventually assessed as £21,514.31.

‘He was arrested and interviewed on 4th of May 2018 and admitted stealing. He said he started his employment with good intentions but his drug addiction took hold once again and he started taking from them.’

In a statement Samantha Snelson, Director of Perfect Associates said: ‘This has had a huge impact on our business. The company went from yearly profit margins of £290,000 before he worked here to below £9,000 after.

‘I personally had to spend months going through records he was involved in to find out the scale of what he had done. He slowed down our business and we have seriously struggled financially.

‘Although we are in a better position now we are a long way off what we were before his employment. I had to make four members of staff redundant. If he had not done this our business was growing. Now it is doing so but at a much slower rate.’ 

Turner (pictured above) formerly of Romiley, Stockport, now of Prestatyn, Clywd admitted theft by employee and fraud by abuse of position and was jailed for 27 months. The court heard Turner had 18 previous offences on his record for theft and fraudulent behaviour relating to previous employment

In mitigation, defence counsel Gemma Maxwell said: ‘He made full admission in interview. He has demonstrated a history of stealing and dishonest behaviour with regards to employers – unattractive behaviour in the extreme.

‘He will have no complaint if he finds himself going to prison. He does not commit these offences out of greed. It is a compulsion, entirely the result of his serious addiction to heroin.

‘That drug addiction has blighted his life for 18 years. He takes full responsibility and he blames no one but himself. He is remorseful to all those who it has effected – remorseful not only to the immediate victims but also those around him. His family are ashamed of his actions,’ Maxwell added.

Sentencing Judge Tina Landale told Turner: ‘You are a committed and dedicated fraudster. You were employed in September 2017, entrusted by a company with no reason to believe you were anything other than their new finance manager.

‘Buy you enriched yourself at their expense. You are addicted to drugs and that seems to have overtaken your life.’

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