On Friday 11th October, at Folkstone Magistrates’ Court, former company director, James Boulton, pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud by abuse of position (contrary to Sections1 and 4 of the Fraud Act 2006) and forgery (contrary to section 3 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981).
Between 2011 and 2023, James Boulton stole over £200,000 from his employer, Thanet based company Summit Aviation and its sister company Gloucester Jet Test Centre Ltd. Boulton had commenced employment at Summit in 1990.
Boulton used a combination of his seniority and autonomy within the business, and a large number of forged documents, both to justify the payments and cover his tracks. Boulton misappropriated monies by transferring money to his personal accounts as well as using company credit cards and bank accounts as though they were his own.
The fraud was initially discovered through an ordinary accounting invoice discrepancy. A significant internal investigation was then undertaken which revealed the true scale of the fraud.
The companies then instructed Edmonds Marshall McMahon to investigate and commence a private prosecution.
Following a criminal investigation and commencement of a prosecution, Boulton was summonsed to appear before Folkstone Magistrates’ Court on Friday 11th October, where he plead guilty to the charges against him. The Judge stated that he had no doubt that his sentencing powers were insufficient. The case was committed for sentence to Canterbury Crown Court on a date to be advised. Boulton was remanded on unconditional bail.
14th October 2024.
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