Gambling and alcohol addict Matthew Ramsay Collins (37), of Vauxhall Street, took the money in varying amounts between August and December last year from his employer Clegg Gifford, which is based in Lister House in the Parade.
The defendant admitted six theft charges, two charges of modifying data without authorisation and two of obtaining
the personal data of a client of Clegg Gifford without the consent of the data controller.
In issuing the Magistrate’s Court’s sentence, Relief Magistrate David Le Cornu said: ‘It is the court’s policy that breaches of trust must be met with a custodial sentence.
It is inevitable that many of the defendants are previously persons of good character.’
And Mr Le Cornu said that Collins’ offending was aggravated by attempts to cover up his crimes. The defendant was also ordered to pay £1,594 in compensation to the company.
A decision by the defendant to refer himself to undergo a residential addiction treatment course at Silkworth Lodge was not considered a sufficiently exceptional factor for a prison sentence to be avoided.
The court heard from Advocate Adam Harrison, defending, that the accused’s gambling habit ‘had cost him a lot’.
‘He has lost his marriage, his home, his job, his friends and his dignity,’ he said.
Police legal adviser Advocate Chris Baglin said that the breach of trust offences came to light when the defendant’s wife contacted Clegg Gifford on 23 February to say that she had found a number of receipts for insurance payments and documents relating to company clients.
The prosecutor said that the receipts were for cash payments taken in by clients to the Parade offices of Clegg Gifford to pay for insurance.
As a result of inquiries, it was established that in January the defendant had accessed the firm’s computer system and digitally altered the records to cover his tracks.
Advocate Baglin said that on 14 April Collins was arrested for five counts of embezzlement and one of larceny by servant.
Although Advocate Harrison acknowledged that the court’s policy was usually to imprison for breaches of trust, he urged the court to follow the recommendation of the social inquiry report to impose community service and probation.
He said that the defendant had self-referred to Silkworth Lodge and he was half way through a treatment programme. ‘He is working well there and making progress,’ he told the court.
