Christopher Baxter, a 43-year-old man from Aghalee, Northern Ireland, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for defrauding his employer, Charles Hurst Limited, and several co-workers. Baxter, who worked as a senior manager at the car dealership, stole £127,702.25 between January 2017 and September 2021, using the money to fuel his compulsive gambling habit and regular cocaine use.
Baxter, who has been described as a “compulsive gambler,” employed a “web of lies” to conceal his fraudulent actions, including pocketing money that was meant for car parts, work done to vehicles, or investments into a supposed workplace savings scheme.
One notable incident involved a co-worker who was saving money to buy a house. Baxter convinced her to invest £100 monthly into what she believed was a workplace share savings plan. However, instead of investing the money, Baxter kept it for himself. When the scheme matured, Baxter failed to repay the worker the £3,500 she was owed, and instead, after offering several excuses, paid her only £950.
In another case, Baxter defrauded a body shop technician who had paid him for car parts that never arrived. Baxter lied about the supply issues and kept the money for himself. He also tricked a senior panel technician into handing over £250 for a car part that he never ordered.
Baxter’s dishonest behavior extended to third parties as well, as he arranged for Hurst to carry out work for other businesses and kept the payments. His actions were finally uncovered in December 2021 after Charles Hurst launched an internal investigation. Police found that the stolen money was used primarily for online gambling.
At his sentencing, Judge Gordon Kerr KC described Baxter’s actions as a “very bad example of a breach of trust.” Despite Baxter’s defense, which cited his gambling addiction and ongoing efforts to address it, the judge emphasized the significant breach of trust involved in his crime. While all the stolen funds have been reimbursed to Charles Hurst Limited, the company still bore the financial loss from Baxter’s fraudulent actions.
Baxter is to serve nine months in prison, with an additional nine months on license upon his release.
