Company director avoids jail after stealing £48k from employer

Monday 07 October 2024

A company director who stole more than £48,000 from his employer over an 11-year period has escaped a prison sentence in what was described as “an extremely exceptional case”.

Justin Paul Alfred Crow was instead sentenced to 180 hours of community service after pleading guilty to one count of embezzlement and one count of larceny as a servant.

The Royal Court was told that Crow (50), who is originally from Birmingham, worked as managing director of Transfer 2000 Jersey.

Between 2009 and 2021, he took money from the company through false invoices and using the firm’s credit card for his own spending.

In May 2021, Transfer 2000 queried an increase in spending under the heading of “stationary expense” in the year-end accounts of the company. 

Crow subsequently requested a video call from Transfer 2000, and admitted stealing £37,700 from the firm over the course of 11 years.

He arranged to pay the money back without police involvement.

The company even asked him to stay on in his role, initially for one month and eventually for 18 months, the court heard.

But in August 2022, Crow suffered a heart attack and stepped down in November that year.

During the process of handing over to a new managing director, it was discovered that another £10,850 had been misappropriated, and the police were alerted.

Crown Advocate Lauren Hallam, prosecuting, said Crow pleaded guilty when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court on 8 August this year.

But she said stealing from an employer was a breach of trust which would normally result in a prison sentence in all but exceptional circumstances, and added: “There are none in this case.”

She recommended 15 months in jail.

But Advocate Darry Robinson, defending, argued: “This is an extremely exceptional case, in which a defendant who stole a significant sum of money was kept on for 18 months to help it stay afloat.

“They didn’t want to lose a key man. He wanted to make amends and he didn’t want the staff at Transfer 2000 to lose their jobs.”

He pointed out that Crow had used some of the money for gambling and some to support his parents, but no longer gambled and was considered at low risk of reconviction.

He said: “Justice would be better served by a non-custodial sentence.”

Commissioner Matthew Thompson told Crow: “There was a relationship of trust which has been violated.

“But you are of previous good character, you have acknowledged your wrongdoing and you have stopped gambling.

“You have been rehabilitated and you have shown remorse.”

In addition to the community service order, Crow was banned from being a company director for five years.

The Jurats sitting were Steven Austin-Vautier and Alison Opferman.