A Chester Zoo worker has been jailed after he stole more than £180,000 from his former employer to fund his gambling addiction.
Daniel Remmington worked in a ‘trusted’ position as a bookkeeper for Liverpool Motor Auctions Ltd but instead helped himself to huge sums of cash over the course of more than a year, a court heard. The money was used to ‘clear his overdraft’ or ‘went straight over the counter or into betting terminals at William Hill’, a judge said.
The 29-year-old, who was working for Chester Zoo before he was sentenced, admitted to having a gambling addiction. Liverpool Motor Auctions Ltd folded and innocent staff members lost their jobs as a result of his crimes.
A trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard how Remmington stole a total of £186,000 from the car auction company between March 2019 and April 2020 while working as its cashier and bookkeeper. Robert Dudley, prosecuting, described how he would take the business’ cut of cash sales before paying the funds into his own Halifax bank account.
The fraudster was able to cover his tracks by incorrectly recording the transactions. Even after the company’s owner identified that around £160,000 was missing from its accounts and began an internal investigation, the defendant continued to steal another £20,000.
Remmington also purchased a Nissan Qashqai from the company, but never paid a penny for it after using a fake name for the sale. The auctioneers was left with a £5,500 shortfall as a result, with half of the price being paid via a cheque from his mum.
His swindle only ceased when the when company was forced to halt its auctions at the beginning of the covid pandemic. The company eventually fell into insolvency, with staff members losing their jobs.
“He was in a trusted position as a cashier, but perhaps not the most trusted person one can imagine in an organisation. He acknowledges, of course, that people lost their jobs.
“The offending is now old, although the defendant had a hand in the delay because he maintained his innocence. He has academic qualifications – GCSEs, A-levels and a university degree.
“He has a decent work record. Your honour knows that he was working right up until his remand into custody.
“There has now, at this late hour, been some steps taken to address his gambling addiction. He has admitted to that addiction, which was obvious given the amount he was gambling.
“He now recognises that he has a problem and he is trying to do something about it. The court may feel that gambling explains his offending – if he can address his gambling, it will extinguish the risk of any reoffending.
“His mother did rely on him significantly prior to his remand into custody. She will find it difficult without him.”
