A York man has been jailed for six years after he admitted stealing £1.2m from Beneden Healthcare Society in York where he was employed as head of finance. James William Gibbon, 62, of St Georges Place, Tadcaster Road, York, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court on Friday 11 April 2014. Beneden Healthcare Society Limited is a friendly, non-profit making society and deals in the provision of health care benefits for its members. Gibbons crimes were discovered after he was dismissed by the society for making unauthorised payments to two women members of staff. Following his departure in 2012, an internal audit was carried out which revealed financial irregularities dating back to 2006 where a total £1,193,689.53 had been diverted from Benedens corporate accounts. The money had been transferred by cheque payments and bank transfers into a number of credit card accounts held in Gibbons name and to individuals and businesses connected to Gibbons personal life. Gibbon used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle including private education for his children, bespoke family holidays, weekends abroad and numerous long weekend breaks at the Ritz Hotel in London. He also used Benedens money to pay his living costs including property rental, shopping, fuel, utilities and council tax payments. Although Benedens records only went back as far as 2006, further payments to a Portuguese holiday company amounting to £13,730.21 were identified which dated back to 2003, taking the total loss to Beneden to £1,207,419.74. Gibbon was arrested on 13 June 2013 and North Yorkshire Polices Major Fraud Investigation Team launched an investigation culminating in his six-year jail sentence. Detective Inspector Ian Wills of North Yorkshire Polices Major Fraud Team, said: Gibbon controlled the accounts of the society and went on to blatantly abuse the trust of his employer and the 900,000 members of the society. Gibbon earned a good salary from Beneden but his greed and a desire for a lavish lifestyle beyond his legitimate means has seen him once again, end up behind bars. Gibbon was employed by Beneden between 1996 and 2012. In 1994 he was convicted of stealing £300,000 from a previous employer and released from prison in 1996.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:48:16 +0000
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