Newport: Accountant stole £2.4m to fund gambling addiction
Her actions also meant that the companies, owned by James Davies, did not contribute enough tax.Mr Davies said Lewis was like a daughter to him, and felt like family.The five companies she committed fraud against included Daisy Vale Limited, Charnwood Accounts, Edward Davies Construction and Fastnet Properties Ltd.Alex Orndal, prosecuting, told the court that Lewis began working for Mr Davies in 2007, first holding a role as a receptionist.By 2017 she was the accountant for the group of companies after she had her accountancy training funded by the company. However, when the company moved over to an online banking system financial problems began to arise. For the first time, the company began to see a substantial and unexplained downturn in profits.When suspicions were raised over an increase in third party payments, Lewis officially resigned in 2023 and a new accountant took over.When Lewis contacted Mr Davies about her severance payment he noticed a link between her account details and a number of other payments on the account.
'Crypto companies'
Mr Orndal said: "Instead of paying third party people she had been paying herself and disguising them as proper payments."Between 2018 and 2023, the total payments to her account exceeded £3.6m, with the total being more than £2.4m after her salary and other legitimate payments had been deducted. Mr Orndal said that £1.4m of this was sent to known gambling companies but this figure is likely to be higher as it is difficult to identify all gambling companies.She also spent £67,000 on crypto companies and £9,000 on FairFX, a bank which accepts payments in different currencies.Despite already fraudulently stealing millions from the businesses, Lewis also asked Mr Davies to loan her £163,000 to help her buy a house, but the money was eventually repaid by her mother and brother.In a victim impact statement, Mr Davies said Lewis's crimes had "affected the lives of countless people" and she had also taken money from the taxpayer.Mr Davies said one member of staff had been unable to withdraw her pension, despite working at the company for many years, because Lewis did not fund it correctly.In a victim impact statement, former director Mark Cotter said that the stress on him had led to his GP making him take four to six weeks off work. "I felt forced to leave the company that I had spent a lot of my life trying to build," he added."I'm in disbelief that all of this happened because of Jemma Lewis."Neil Corre, for the defendant, said she was in this position due to her gambling addiction.He said she did not gamble to win but to continue gambling, adding she had now been free of the addiction for more than a year.Mr Corre said she hoped to use her experience to help others. "She has lost her job, her home and she may lose her liberty, but her moral compass has been restored," he said.Sentencing Lewis, Judge Daniel Williams said: "You have been a gambler for years, since you were 18 and long before you were employed by James Davies. "Your upbringing was privileged but also blighted by trauma and sadness."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Two arrested during demonstrations outside Canary Wharf hotel
Two people have been arrested at a protest at the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf, the Metropolitan Police said. More than 100 people were protesting with Stand Up to Racism at the hotel in London against recent anti-migrant demonstrations. They gathered as part of the 'Defend Refugees, Stop the Far Right' demonstrations happening across the UK on Friday. Around 100 counter-protesters also gathered at the venue, shouting 'stop the boats' as a number of them waved the Union flag. It came as officers also imposed conditions on the group protesting against the use of the hotel to house asylum seekers. The force posted on X: 'Officers have made two arrests in Canary Wharf. 'One person protesting against the use of the hotel by asylum seekers has been arrested after a bottle was thrown at officers. 'A member of the counter-protest group has been arrested for failing to remove a face covering. 'We have imposed conditions using the Public Order Act to prevent serious disorder at the protests in Canary Wharf. 'The group protesting against the use of the hotel by asylum seekers have been instructed to remain in front of the blue hoarding on the pavement opposite the Britannia Hotel.' Dozens of protesters were escorted by a large number of police officers, and they were carrying banners that read: 'Never again: remember history, fight fascism' and 'Refugees welcome'. There was a continued heavy police presence at the scene. Other counter-protesters wore St George's Cross flags wrapped over their shoulders or neck, with a handful wearing full-face coverings. A counter-protester also unfurled an Israeli flag. Police chiefs have warned they are ready to 'mobilise significant and specialist resources' if unrest breaks out at a string of anti-migrant protests planned at hotels housing asylum seekers. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) is working with forces across the country and monitoring intelligence in preparation for a fresh wave of protests on Friday, with demonstrations planned at up to 14 hotels across the country.
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Nicola Sturgeon says police investigation into her ‘was like mental torture'
Nicola Sturgeon has opened up about her arrest, describing how the police investigation was like 'mental torture' and she thought about disappearing into the North Sea. In an excerpt of her new memoir, Frankly, published by The Times, the former first minister of Scotland spoke about some of the hardest moments of her life, as well as conflicted feelings over motherhood and sexuality. Being arrested and questioned by the police following the arrest of her ex-husband and the Scottish National Party (SNP) treasurer was the 'worst day of my life', she wrote. Peter Murrell, the former chief executive officer of the SNP, was arrested in 2023 and later charged with embezzlement, after his and Ms Sturgeon's home was searched by police looking into what happened to £660,000 of donations to the party. Police also investigated Colin Beattie and Ms Sturgeon but they were later exonerated. The arrests, Ms Sturgeon said, made her feel like she 'had fallen into the plot of a dystopian novel'. She said she barely slept during the period leading up to her arrest and would wake with her stomach in knots. She described June 11, the date she was arrested and questioned, as the 'worst day of my life' but added she was partly relieved that her wait was over. Following her questioning, she went to visit a friend in the north east of Scotland for a week to escape the media glare. She wrote: 'I spent hours, looking out across the North Sea. At first, I wanted to somehow disappear into its vastness. 'Slowly but surely, though, the sea calmed me.' But alongside her darker moments was one of her proudest achievements, she said – passing her driving test at the age of 53. Ms Sturgeon told how she carried a sense of 'dread and anxiety' for a year, during which nothing happened, until April 2024, when Mr Murrell was re-arrested and charged. But the probe into Ms Sturgeon continued and she admitted she was frightened about the investigation even though she knew she had 'done nothing wrong'. And she said: 'I retain both faith in and respect for our country's criminal justice system. However, none of that changes this fact: being the subject of a high-profile criminal investigation for almost two years, especially having committed no crime, was like a form of mental torture.' She wrote of an 'overwhelming' sense of relief and release upon being told she would face no further action on March 20, 2025. Ms Sturgeon also opens up about her miscarriage in 2010, saying she went to work in January while she was in 'constant agony', including a memorial event for the 40th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster. And she addressed rumours of her 'torrid lesbian affair' around 2020 with Catherine Colonna, who was French ambassador to the UK at the time, and false rumours perpetuated about her issuing a super-injunction to silence the press. She concludes: 'However, while the fact I was being lied about got under my skin, the nature of the insult itself was water off a duck's back. 'Long-term relationships with men have accounted for more than 30 years of my life, but I have never considered sexuality, my own included, to be binary. Moreover, sexual relationships should be private matters.' Frankly by Nicola Sturgeon will be published on Thursday.
The Sun
9 minutes ago
- The Sun
Oasis Wembley gig in major security breach after at least 200 ticketless fans were sneaked in for cash via disabled door
WEMBLEY bosses are ready to call in police after hundreds of ticketless Oasis fans are said to have used a security scam to get into one of the band's gigs. As many as 200 were asked for £350 each to be snuck in via a disabled entrance, The Sun was told. 4 4 Two punters told The Sun how a large group were able to all use a copy of the same ticket to get into the North London stadium through a disabled entrance. They were then handed wristbands giving them access to the VIP area at the front of the stage as Liam and Noel Gallagher banged out hits including Stand By Me and Slide Away. The two women masterminding the scam are said to have told them they had 'ten groups of 20' waiting — meaning around 200 are likely to have been sneaked in. One of the fans told us: 'We were given our tickets, which were all the same, and a woman drew a shape on our hands. 'We were told to go to the disabled door at entrance M, even though our tickets said entrance F. 'We showed our stamped hands to the person on the door, they scanned the tickets, even though we all had the same one, and let us in. 'Another member of staff then handed us a golden circle wristband and that was it. There were zero security searches. We just walked straight in.' Last night Wembley said cops could be called in to investigate. A spokesman said: 'Entering Wembley Stadium without a ticket is a serious offence and we are investigating these allegations. 'If they are substantiated, we will refer our evidence to the police.' Incredible on stage footage shows thousands of Oasis fans going wild at sold out Wembley gig The Sun has tracked down the two women who appear to be running the scam but we have chosen not to name them. Using Facebook groups dedicated to fans buying and selling tickets for Oasis shows, they approached numerous people desperate to see the band. There were zero security searches. We just walked straight in Fan One message reads: 'Hey if you're still looking for tickets let me know I can meet you in person and no payment until you're inside!' The punter who told The Sun about the scam said he was contacted on social media and told to pay a £10 deposit into one of the scammer's Monzo bank accounts. Once it was paid, he was put into a WhatsApp group. He explained: 'Everyone in the group was told to go to the Sainsbury's shop at Wembley Way on Saturday. 'There were so many people there I got talking to them and we were all there for the same reason. 'Two women came and met us. They drew a shape on our hands and then a ticket was put into the WhatsApp group which we were to use. One of the women told me they were in a hurry because they had 'ten groups of 20 people' to get into the stadium. "They told us all to go to entrance M and head to the disabled entrance.' Hey if you're still looking for tickets let me know I can meet you in person and no payment until you're inside! One message The man, along with a friend and others in his group, went to the area at 5pm. He claims they were ushered inside after their tickets — all copies of the same one — were scanned with no questions asked. He added: 'A girl scanned my ticket and some bloke inside gave me a wristband and that was that. 4 4 'We were supposed to pay inside and transfer the money to one of the women's Monzo bank accounts but loads of my group didn't do it.' A message shared with The Sun from the WhatsApp group reveals one of the women giving her bank details again, along with her full name. She writes: 'Transfer to these details once inside. Don't forget. 'Someone is waiting inside and one payment is made you're free to do whatever.' The second woman, believed to be a relative of hers, then asks the group: 'Did all u lot get in??' We later contacted one of the scammers to ask about getting into Sunday night's Wembley gig. Two women came and met us. They drew a shape on our hands and then a ticket was put into the WhatsApp group which we were to use Fan Using encrypted messaging app Signal, she said: '£400 a ticket but I'm taking payment before anyone goes in! Yesterday was a f***ing s**tshow. Not doing that again.' Another punter, who bought tickets for Sunday night from the same scammers, told The Sun they were told to go to the disabled door. And a gig-goer told us their brother used the scam on Saturday night, paying £350. They said: 'Apparently loads of people didn't pay when they got in.' The Sun understands the ticket scam did not work on Sunday evening for the people we spoke to. Wembley has suffered security scandals before. In 2021 a steward helped ticketless fans into England's Euros footie final clash with Italy. Last night Oasis played their first of three shows in Edinburgh.
