Employee used vouchers and codes for goods worth £11,450
AN employee of an online retailer who used unauthorised vouchers and codes to purchase more than £11,000 worth of goods has been jailed.
Brendan Abreu, 24, of High Street, Treorchy, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation.
The defendant used his position with company Web Help UK, who provided services for Shop Direct, to get his hands on free vouchers and codes which he was not entitled to in order to buy items such as computers, furniture and even lingerie.
The court was told by prosecutor Ian Colvin that Abreu worked at the company from 2014 and 2016.
Between July and December 2016, the defendant used various vouchers and codes to obtain goods from Shop Direct and he processed the purchases through four accounts.
The first account, held in another name, used £5,600 worth of vouchers to purchase 80 items including electronic items, lingerie and furniture.
The second account, held in the defendant’s name, used £750 worth of vouchers to buy 34 items including clothing and tech items.
The third account, held in the name of a C McManus at an Abercarn address, used £2,250 worth of vouchers to purchase six items including an Apple Mac, another computer and other small items.
The fourth account, held in the name of the defendant’s friend Mark Matthews at a Caerphilly address, used £2,850 worth of vouchers to purchase 16 items including an iPad, computer games, a GoPro, an iPhone seven, and other tech items.
Between the four accounts, 136 items were purchased for £11,450 worth of vouchers.
After Abreu had left Web Help UK to work for another company in December 2016, his offending came to light and to the attention of the police.
Officers arrested the defendant at his home address in April and he admitted to the offence in his police interview.
He claimed he was struggling financially after the recent birth of his child and had fallen into debt, but claimed the person named on the first account was not aware of the purchases made in her name.
He added that his friend Mark Matthews was also struggling financially and he had wanted to help him out.
Mr Colvin said: “It was an abuse of trust and there was some sophistication and planning involved with the use of four accounts and names using different values and transactions.
“The activity was carried out over a sustained period of time.”
Sentencing Abreu to eight months imprisonment, Judge Stephen Hopkins QC told him: “Your offending was deliberate, dishonest and persistent and only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.
“While I am mindful of your family, I want to make it clear that you’re the one who is inflicting hurt and pain on them.”