A father who stole almost £240,000 from his employer has put his furious ex-colleagues at risk of redundancy. David Parker, 37, from Wythenshawe, Manchester stole almost a quarter of a million pounds from Multiplex Pension Trustees Ltd in order to pay off his debts.
Parker exploited his role as a pension fund administrator to make 53 transactions at the small company without their knowledge and has now put the firm on the brink of collapse. It was a four-year ruse that the father used to nab the money in to four different bank accounts that he controlled, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The man confessed his crimes to police and an independent financial advisor spotted discrepancies at Multiplex Pension Trustees Ltd, the Manchester-based business where Parker earned an annual salary of £37,000.
One of the funds he had control over was for an Altrincham clothing company employing 50 people. A decision was made to wind up the fund dating back to the 1990s and Parker was tasked with writing to members of the scheme. However, unbeknown to his employer, he had been regularly stealing from the fund between 2016 and 2020.
In March 2020, he went on sick leave at a time when colleagues were working from home due to the Covid pandemic restrictions and he was said to have had "little interaction" with other members of staff. He went on sick leave for another period between July and August of 2020, according to prosecutor Juliet Berry.
Manchester Crown Court heard his crimes began to unravel when coworkers found his absences "very much out of character" before he surprisingly resigned from the company via text message on August 5. The independent financial advisor, acting for one of the members of the Miss Mary of Sweden fund, raised discrepancies in the accounts with Multiplex.
An investigation found Parker transferred a total of £238,128.55 to various accounts; one in his name, one in the name of his partner and one in the name of his step-daughter.
In a victim personal statement read out in court, Joanne Hever, of Multiplex, said the notion that his crimes were "victimless" was "far from the truth". The amount of money Parker had taken was "quantifiable" but the impact of his crime "has cost the business in other ways".
She continued that "many many hours have been taken up unravelling the fraud" as Parker "went to considerable lengths to destroy records". It was a "significant drain" on the business, which she said has a turnover of £700,000 per year. Parker was said to have been employed in a "position of trust" at the family-owned business. His crimes left colleagues in "shock, disbelief and anger".
A team of seven who work at Multiplex were "devastated" and the firm's future was "very much uncertain", with some members of staff to be made redundant, said Ms Hever. She added that she personally felt a "huge sense of shock and upset" and also "feelings of guilt and self-blame".
Parker was arrested and interviewed on December 31, 2021, where he admitted he had stolen money from his employers. Richard Simons, defending, referred the judge to a letter the defendant had written to him and also a number of character testimonials.
They spoke of Parker's "many positive attributes" but also expressed shock that he could commit such crimes. Mr Simons urged the judge to suspend any prison sentence. Parker first made "modest withdrawals" and had "fully intended" to pay them back but then made subsequent withdrawals when he realised they had gone unnoticed.
Mr Simons said the money had not gone to "fund an extravagant lifestyle or purchase luxury items" but had been used to pay back a number of pay-day loans. Parker was said to have had felt such shame as his personal life "deteriorated" that he went to solicitors and instructed them to tell police he had been "helping himself" to money.
Judge Timothy Smith noted that the references he had read described a "devoted father and loving family man and somebody who was honest and could be trusted". The judge added: "You have held your hands up and showed yourself to be somebody not to be trusted who was in fact dishonest and who was dishonest for a significant period of time."
Judge Smith said the defendant had "pilfered" for many years and then attempted to "cover your tracks", accepting he had stolen the money to pay debt rather than fund a life of luxury.
The judge said he was prepared to give the defendant a discount on his sentence because of his prompt admissions to his own solicitors and others, even though Parker did not plead guilty at his first appearance at court. The judge said it was "regrettable" police took no action when Parker's solicitors told them about his crimes.
Parker was jailed for two years and four months. He admitted one charge of fraud and another of acquiring criminal property between the four year period. Members of his family, in the public gallery, waved at Parker and wept as he was taken down to begin his sentence.
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