Bristol man sentenced for fraud after taking £10,000s from employer
Police say his actions were estimated to have cost the company somewhere in the region of £40,000
A Bristol man's been sentenced for taking more than £80,000 from his employer.
Muhammad Shafiq, from Wells Road, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud of abuse by position - and has been handed a 12 month suspended sentence, and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
The 33 year old has since paid it all back following the fraud, which police say happened over an 18-month period - between January 2020, and June 2021.
The 33-year-old transferred money initially to his own bank account and then to a company he set up.
Earlier this month (May 9th), Bristol Crown Court was told that Shafiq put the money towards a deposit on a house and to a new car loan.
PC Andrew Smetham, officer in the case, said: “Fraud is not a victimless crime. Even though the money was paid back, Shafiq’s actions were estimated to have cost the company somewhere in the region of £40,000, due to its own expenses and rectifying the losses they incurred.
“This conviction shows we will pursue fraudsters and seek to bring them before the courts for their crimes.
“We are now considering an application under the Proceeds of Crime Act to obtain any profit Shafiq made as a result of his offending.”
If you are a victim of Fraud - you can report it to Action Fraud.