Payroll Manager Jailed for £21k Fraud to Fund Addictions

A Blackwood payroll manager has been sentenced to prison after stealing over £21,000 from healthcare recruitment companies to fund his addictions. 💼⚖️

Connor Hickman, 24, from Oakdale, swindled £21,915.41 from Nos Da Healthcare and NDS Healthcare through 112 fraudulent transactions over an eight-month period. Newport Crown Court heard how he created false payslips and bogus invoices from suppliers to divert money into his own bank account.

The court was told Hickman had a £1,000-a-week cocaine habit and lost approximately £500 weekly through gambling.

In a victim impact statement, managing director Tristan Rich revealed the devastating impact of the fraud, saying: “We had to pay all the suppliers he had neglected to pay so it’s ended up costing us twice.”

The fraud forced Mr Rich to make three employees redundant, including one who was married with children. The company also faced issues with HMRC and suffered a damaged credit rating.

Prosecutor Megan Eckley described it as “sophisticated offending involving the fabrication of payslips and invoices” committed “over a prolonged period to feed his drug and gambling addictions.”

Hickman, of Ivy Bush Cottages, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position. The offences occurred in Bargoed between October 2022 and June 2023.

Defence representative Alice Sykes told the court: “The defendant has shown candour and deep remorse from the outset of this case. He takes full responsibility for his actions.” She added that Hickman is now drug-free, no longer gambling, and earning £1,600 monthly in new employment.

Judge Carl Harrison told Hickman: “You were a trusted employee of these companies. You started as a payroll clerk before being promoted to payroll manager and you then used and abused this position for your own financial gain.”

Hickman was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment and ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge upon release.