4 days ago
Man jailed after stealing £397,000 from wife's family business to fund 'lavish' holidays and car
A man has been jailed for eight years in Jersey after stealing £397,000 from his wife's small family business to fund a "lavish lifestyle" of Caribbean holidays, five-star hotels, cruises and an expensive car.
Benjamin Mitton, 46, took the money from scrap metal company Hunt Bros Ltd between March 2015 and July 2019.
The firm has been running since 1851 and is one of Jersey's oldest family businesses, said to have operated on trust for generations.
Jersey's Royal Court heard how Mitton was offered the job to help him get back into work, was paid well with bonuses and lived rent-free in a home owned by his father-in-law, but still started stealing almost immediately.
Commissioner Andrew Oldland explained that Mitton showed no remorse, deflecting blame onto other family members in a "particularly serious breach of trust".
He added that Mitton's in-law, James Hunt, broke down as he could not understand how the company was losing money.
Commissioner Oldland stated: "In response, you simply shook your head and said, 'You should go home'.
"You knew full well where the money had gone; you had stolen it and carried on stealing.
"James felt he had failed his father and uncle and this has left him doubting any decision he now makes. Your behaviour has had a devastating impact on all family members, old and young.
"The company survived, but the impact on the family has been very serious."
Mitton did not help the police during the investigation, responding with no comment during interviews.
He was found guilty in April on one count of larceny as a servant - a worker stealing from their employer - and two counts of transferring criminal property.
The Court heard how Mitton was out of work in 2015 and his wife's family invited him to join the company as a trainee supervisor.
The prosecution explained: "As a member of the family, you were trusted with sums of money, made a signatory and had keys to both safes. Rather than improving financial systems, you took advantage.
"You stole cash that had come from the bank and paid it into your own accounts. As quickly as this money came in, it came out again."
It was discovered that Mitton had paid money into his own account on the same day he took cash from the family business on 30 occasions.
Commissioner Oldland added: "This was a small, tight-knit family business built on trust. As a consequence, it did not have a robust system of checks and balances; it was a cash business, which means it regularly needed to withdraw cash to pay customers.
"You told the bank a number of lies - that you had set up a business, you created a false trail."
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