Craig Williams, 48, has been sentenced for stealing £240,000 worth of stock to fund his gambling habit, admitting his actions in a text to his employer.
Williams, the general manager at PGK Distribution UK, operated in Nottingham from June 2016 to July 2018. During this time, he sold the company’s solar PV products at discounted prices, creating false invoices that directed payments to his personal bank account.
After delivering the products to customers, Williams would return to the company and log the stock back in, falsely stating that the orders had been canceled. To conceal the missing inventory, he kept the empty boxes and placed them back on the warehouse shelves, ensuring the stock went unnoticed.
Suspicion arose when the managing director observed discrepancies between the actual stock and Williams’ reports. Following weeks of discussions, Williams sent a text to confess his theft, attributing it to his gambling addiction. The next day, he voluntarily went to Radford Road Police Station to admit his crimes.
Initially believing he had stolen around £70,000, an investigation revealed the true amount was approximately £240,000. Williams reportedly made about £150,000 from his fraudulent activities.
The impact of his actions was significant; the managing director stated that Williams’ misconduct led to the closure of the UK business and five job losses.
At Nottingham Crown Court, Williams pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position. He was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, due to factors including his guilty plea, delays in court proceedings, previous good character, and efforts to tackle his gambling addiction.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Williams must complete 200 hours of unpaid community service, undergo alcohol treatment, and refrain from gambling for a year.
