Council worker jailed for £19k payroll fraud

A newly-appointed council worker who diverted a chief executive's salary into his girlfriend's account within a day of starting his job has been jailed for 14 months.

Law graduate Stuart Southwick, of Halesowen, also sent a retiring colleague's final salary payment into the same account, a court heard. Southwick blew the £19,000 on a second-hand Porsche, trips to London, clothes, drink, and a new computer and television.

Warwick Crown Court heard how he began working for Solihull Council having got the job through an agency.

Prosecutor Andrew Tucker told the court that Southwick, aged 26, was working in the payroll department at the council.

He could gain access to personal details about members of staff, including their banking details, he said.

Those included community housing chief executive Steve Boyd and a female council employee who was due to retire and to receive a large final payment.

He changed their account details and, as a result, Mr Boyd's £6,035 salary and the woman's final salary payment of £13,688 were not paid into their bank account on May 15, but into Southwick's girlfriend Samantha Mason's account.

His fraud came to light because discrepancies with the woman's bank details were spotted.

Enquiries with Barclays showed the payment had been made into Southwick's girlfriend's account, from where most of the £19,722 was withdrawn by her the same day, said Mr Tucker.

Southwick bought a second-hand Porsche Boxter for £8,000, a new mobile phone, a laptop computer and a television, clothing and drink, and paid for trips to London with his girlfriend.

In July police officers spotted Southwick driving the Porsche and followed it to his girlfriend's Solihull home. Recorder Richard Bond said Southwick, of Blackberry Lane, had duped his girlfriend by telling her lies about why he needed to use her account. Trevor Meegan, defending, said Southwick, who admitted fraud, did not have his own bank account because he had run up a large overdraft.