Manager stole £240k of stock to fund gambling problem

A man who stole £240,000 of stock from his employer to fund a gambling problem has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Nottinghamshire Police said Craig Williams "abused his position" as a distribution manager at PGK Distribution, on Lenton Lane Industrial Estate in Nottingham.

The 48-year-old, of Mansfield Lane in Calverton, handed himself into police in 2018, and pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position.

He was given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, after a sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday.

Police said Williams had been selling solar PV products to customers at reduced prices before creating false invoices to direct payments into his own bank account and updating the company's systems to say customers had cancelled their orders.

He kept empty boxes in the warehouse to hide missing stock, but when managers became suspicious, he confessed.

As a result of him selling stock at reduced prices, the court heard Williams made about £150,000 from the two-year fraud.

The UK arm of the business was closed as a result, leading to five job losses.

While the custodial sentence was suspended, Williams must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and complete an alcohol treatment requirement for nine months.

Det Con Anna Haynes, who led the investigation, said: “Since [he] did not have the strength to seek help for his spiralling addiction before it was too late, a successful business had to close and five staff lost their jobs.

“He did express remorse throughout the investigation, and I hope this case serves as a reminder to people of how gambling can get out of control and ruin lives.”

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.