Soldier who stole more than £300,000 from the MoD to buy 'adult services' and a hair transplant is jailed
A squaddie who stole almost £350,000 from the army to buy three Tesla cars, a hair transplant and 'adult services' has been locked up.
Staff Sergeant Andrew Oakes was in charge of a pre-signed military cheque book, which he used on 125 occasions to funnel cash into his own account.
Teesside Crown Court heard how his deception only came to light when queries were made about his regular absences from work at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.
Oakes' fraudulent behaviour started on a relatively minor level when he claimed travel expenses he was not entitled to before he turned his greedy attention to the cheque book he had control over.
The court heard he wrote the names of colleagues on the cheque stubs, which initially dragged them into the investigation.
Tabitha Buck, prosecuting, said his role in the military was a prestigious appointment which required a trusted employee due to the unrestricted access to Ministry of Defence cash.
She said: 'Multiple suspicious transactions were discovered in the system and the findings were reported to the Royal Military Police for investigation.'
It was discovered that Oakes has also used a fake document to secure a house he wanted to buy and told the estate agent he had won the funds in an army lottery.
A thorough investigation revealed that Oakes drained £336,448 from the MOD's coffers while he was serving in the 2nd Infantry Training Battalion
A thorough investigation revealed that the defendant had used 125 cheques between December 2023 and May 2024 to drain £336,448 from the MOD's coffers while he was serving in the 2nd Infantry Training Battalion.
She added: 'He purchased three Tesla vehicles, a Nissan Qashqai, a BMW Mini, a hair transplant, Apple products, paid off outstanding debts and paid £16,550 towards adult services.'
Oakes, of Station Road, Winsford, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud by false representation, abuse of position, a charge of concealing fraudulent transactions and acquiring criminal property.
The 39-year-old soldier, who represented himself in court, apologised for his dishonesty and told the judge he was in a difficult mental place at the time of his offending.
'I just want to apologise to everyone I have hurt, my family and the army especially,' he said. 'I regret my actions, I was in a bad place, drinking a lot of alcohol and was not a stable person.'
Judge Nathan Adams jailed the soldier for a total of three years and six months for using the money to fund his luxury spends.
He said: 'These pre-signed cheques authorised you to spend money, public money, and you were given that authority for lawful purposes.
'An investigation revealed a substantial number of cheques had been written to yourself and cashed into your accounts.'
A proceeds of crime act hearing will take place in October to attempt to recover the stolen cash.
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