'Trusted' accountant fraudulently stole almost £90,000 from Harrogate's leading bus company
Mark Suter, 44, from Harrogate, falsified invoices and cheques during his time as financial controller at Transdev Blazefield, the parent company of the Harrogate Bus Company, York Crown Court heard.
Such was Suter’s reputation as a top-grade accountant and trustworthy employee at the firm’s Harrogate branch on Broughton Way, that he never once came under suspicion during his five-year scam which had cost the company tens of thousands of pounds, said prosecutor Jeremy Barton.
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Hide AdBetween July 2012 and March 2017, Suter defrauded the company out of just over £88,000 and spent the money on Argos gift vouchers, a £4,800 Rolex watch, Apple products and car tyres that he claimed were a “legitimate business expense”.
He also deposited £9,000 into his own pension fund and splurged on gardening equipment and fuel for his own vehicle.
When Suter resigned from his £49,000-a-year job in March 2017 after eight years at the firm, his actions had still not been discovered.
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Hide AdHe was finally arrested two months later when the firm’s financial director noted a number of invoice irregularities and launched an inquiry.
The investigation revealed that none of the £30,000 worth of invoices had been sent out by the company.
Suter had also forged signatures on company cheques worth about £60,000, which he paid into his own account.
“The defendant had been rather clever in being able to fool those who he worked for,” said Mr Barton. “He was trusted by those around him.”
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Hide AdFollowing his arrest, Suter told police that he was “resentful (about) his role (in the company) and felt under-appreciated and underpaid”.
He claimed that others were given “perks and benefits” which had been denied to him, so he “went about getting them himself”.
Suter, of Copgrove, Harrogate, initially pleaded his innocence but later owned up to the huge fraud, blaming it on financial pressures.
He admitted eight counts of fraud and appeared for sentence on Monday.
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Hide AdThe court heard that the transport company - which has a fleet of over 500 buses and runs services across North and West Yorkshire, including the flagship 36 route linking Harrogate with Ripon and Leeds - had been deeply affected by Suter’s crimes, which had led to innocent staff members and even directors coming under suspicion before his eventual arrest.
The father-of-two found new accountancy work after leaving Transdev but did not tell his new employer about his offences.
He was sacked about three weeks ago after a staff member at the bus firm contacted his new employer and told them about the court case.
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