A manager has been jailed for 18 months after fraud investigators found out he had stolen £56,000 from a Hampshire Hospital.
Paul Ball, from Derwent Close, Horndean, was employed by the NHS Trust as a supervisor in the cafeteria of Basingstoke Hospital.
Winchester Crown Court heard that the 49-year-old man was motivated by gaining money to feed his gambling addiction.
Ball was meticulous in the planning of the scam. The first step was to make sure he took the money from the canteen to the cashier office on his own. The rule is that two employers should be present at all times.
Once he was out of view he would take some of the bags of money to his car. Taking steps to make sure he wasn’t seen.
The scam only worked because he took small amounts of money over a period of months.
Nobody noticed the missing money because the paperwork was kept in order.
But eventually workers became suspicious about missing receipts.
They complained to Ball, who took no action. It was then that the fraud investigators stepped in.
Passing sentence Judge Keith Cutler said: “It is very sad that you find yourself before me,” and said that his actions have brought him nothing but “loss and shame”.
Hampshire Hospitals NHS foundation trust said in a statement: “This case demonstrates that the Trust will not tolerate theft and fraud committed. Action is currently being taken to recover the monies that were stolen.”
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