Birmingham accountant jailed after £315,000 theft from employer

A CROOKED accountant has been jailed for more than three years after fleecing her Jewellery Quarter company of more than £300,000.

Julie Sexton-Blythe used the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle for herself, splashing out on designer goods and a beauty salon in Shropshire.

Sexton-Blythe diverted cash from a savings account at Hockley firm Reliable Stamping between February 2015 and January this year, Birmingham Crown Court was told.

And when her scam was uncovered by West Midlands Police she claimed she needed the feel-good spending fix to help deal with losing a relative in a car crash five years earlier.

Bosses at the firm, which makes enamel pin badges and medals, raised the alarm in January after a series of payments to two particular suppliers had all but drained company reserves.

Sexton-Blythe joined the business in June 2014 but within six months had used her position to create two bogus payees – closely resembling the names of genuine suppliers – that funnelled cash into her own NatWest account.

Search warrants at her home in Severn Valley Caravan Park and a salon in Bridgnorth High Street – which she bought in the summer – uncovered a hoard of designer clothes, including fur coats, and accessories like handbags, purses and belts.

The 51-year-old went on to admit theft by employee and was jailed for 40 months.

Investigating officer, DC Catherine Wall, said: “She tried to cover her tracks by creating two payees with names very similar to established suppliers…and she managed to get away with her fraud for almost a year.

“In the end she was caught by her own greed as she continued diverting cash into her own accounts even at quiet trading times – and when the hole in company finances got bigger her scam was identified.

“The beauty salon was kitted out with high-end equipment, expensive furniture and leading beauty products; there is no way she could have afforded what we found on her accountant’s salary.

“In total, the payments she made to herself reached £315,000.”

DC Wall said that during her interview, Sexton-Blythe had claimed to be suffering emotional and psychological trauma due to losing a relative in the accident in 2011. The accountant had claimed that spending money on clothes and accessories made her feel better, although she said the ‘fix’ did not last long so she found herself doing it again and again.

West Midlands Police will now look to recover cash and assets from Sexton-Blythe under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).