A FINANCIAL investigator has told the trial of a man accused of stealing from his in-laws’ business that it was unclear from the firm’s poor records whether money had gone missing or not.
Forensic accountant Elizabeth Scott said scrap metal firm Hunt Bros Ltd had incomplete, inaccurate records or missing documents – so she could not tell whether former employee Benjamin Mitton had stolen any cash.
Ms Scott was giving evidence on the fourth day of the trial in the Royal Court of 46-year-old Mr Mitton. He is accused of stealing almost £400,000 from HBL while he was employed there.
He faces one charge of larceny and two of transferring criminal property, all of which he denies. The trial heard previously that HBL’s profits had fallen while Mr Mitton worked there and rose again after he left.
Answering questions on Friday 25 April from Advocate Greg Herold-Howes, defending, Ms Scott said she noted many discrepancies in the company’s financial records. Of some expenditure, she said: “I don’t know whether invoices were missing or it simply hadn’t been reported.” But she also said: “I can’t say that the discrepancies were down to cash misappropriation.”
Crown Advocate Mike Preston, prosecuting, pointed out that when Mr Mitton was working for HBL, from 2015 until 2019, he was not engaged in any other trade or business that could account for the sums of money. Ms Scott said it was more difficult to detect fraud from companies without careful controls and records.
The trial is expected to conclude on Monday. Commissioner Alan Oldland is presiding.
