Gambling addict stole £150,000 from Crawley dentists he worked for
Chris Ballinger
A GAMBLING addict who stole more than £150,000 from his employer while working as an accountant has been spared jail – but must pay back every penny.
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SPARED JAIL: Gambling addict Vimal Patel
The transactions took place between May 2011, soon after he joined the company, and February 2012.
The dental group runs Hollybush Dental Care, in Northgate, Northgate Dental Care and Tilgate Dental Care.
The 30-year-old was sentenced to a two-year prison term, suspended for two years, at Lewes Crown Court last Friday.
He had pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by abuse of position at a previous hearing.
The court heard the dental company still has outstanding losses of £97,315.89 due to Patel's crimes.
He has already paid back £57,696.31. This money was put back into the company's accounts when Patel was successful with some of his bets.
Michael Neofytou, defending, told the court his client had been of previous good character.
He said: "He was the first member of his family to go university. From the pride this gave him and his family, my client now feels shame and embarrassment and is full of remorse.
"This case stems from a gambling addiction which led to a breach of trust. My client found himself in debt and his gambling led to a vicious downward spiral.
"There are debits and credits worth £900,000 going in and out of his own bank account to Don GB, an affiliate of Bet 365.
"In a way you could say it was a stupid thing to do because there was no false identification, he used his own bank account.
"All it would take was one dentist to question why they had not been paid and it would then only take a minute to find him."
Mr Neofytou added that Patel viewed his arrest last February as like "having a gun pointed to his head" and a wake-up call to stop gambling.
He said: "He has stopped gambling and is now attending Gambling Anonymous meetings."
Judge Guy Anthony said he came to the conclusion it was "just about" possible to suspend Patel's jail term due to his previous good character, letters of support he had received and a new job he has managed to secure.
Judge Anthony added: "Over a course of several months you stole from your employer who trusted you to deal with their financial matters.
"You took part in high-stakes gambling and, although you paid about a third of the money back, the company is still nearly £100,000 out of pocket."
While suspending the prison term, Judge Anthony said Patel must carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and pay back the remaining £97,315.89.
The court agreed Patel will initially pay back £1,000 a month but Mr Neofytou said his client had a "desire" to pay the full amount as quickly as possible.
Southern Dental Limited is a privately owned group with 55 NHS and private dental practices in London and the south.
The company has its head office at Innovation House, in Faraday Road, Manor Royal.
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