A MAN has been jailed for eight years for stealing almost £400,000 from his employer – his wife’s family’s business – to fund a “lavish” lifestyle.
Benjamin Mitton (48) was convicted for one count of larceny as a servant and two counts of transferring proceeds of crime by a jury in April.
Mitton worked for Hunt Bros Ltd from 2015 to 2019 and, while the company’s profits plunged, the trusted manager quietly deposited £397,000 in cash into his personal bank accounts.
Crown Advocate Mike Preston, prosecuting, said Mitton was “paid well by the business and given substantial bonuses each year”.
“He and his wife were living rent-free in a two-bed semi-detached house owned by his father-in-law,” the advocate added.
The scrap metal business relied mainly on cash, and Mitton was one of just three employees who were signatories on the Hunt Bros bank account.
The Crown Advocate said: “The business was run on trust. The defendant abused that trust.”
When Hunt Bros faced financial difficulties, Mitton’s brother-in-law and company director James Hunt was left doubting himself and his abilities.
Mr Hunt “blamed himself for letting his father and uncle down” and “broke down at what he saw as his own failings”, said Crown Advocate Preston.
Witnessing his employer’s breakdown, Mr Mitton “shook his head and told him to go home” despite knowing he was to blame, the court heard.
“This was despicable conduct on behalf of the defendant,” the Crown Advocate said.
He added that Mitton “lived an expensive lifestyle” and spent money on “lavish holidays”.
Advocate Greg Herold-Howes, defending, said Mitton had waited a long time to go on trial.
But Crown Advocate Preston said the delays were due to the “complex and lengthy investigation, largely down to the conduct of the defendant himself”.
Advocate Herold-Howes also pointed out that Mitton’s reputation had already suffered.
He acknowledged that Jersey courts are typically strict on financial crime, but said that Mitton’s case was not one that would endanger confidence in the Island’s financial industry.
Advocate Herold-Howes warned the Jurats not to be “dazzled” by the amount of money stolen, noting that Mitton’s case was “not of [the] magnitude” of others the courts has seen.
Whilst the defence advocate recognised the large amount of money stolen, he warned Jurats not to be “dazzled” by the sum – noting that Mitton’s case was “not of [the] magnitude” of others seen by the courts.
Advocate Herold-Howes said the case was a “serious breach of trust”, but argued that “it is not an extraordinary case”.
Commissioner Andrew Oldland was presiding with Lieutenant Bailiff Ronge and Jurats Averty, Le Heuzé, Entwistle and Berry.
