Boss reveals his sense of betrayal over the worker who defrauded his firm

‘Trusted and valued member of our team’ swindled £376k to help fund gambling addiction

THE boss of a Stoke-on-trent engineering firm has opened up about the ‘betrayal and deceit’ of a trusted worker who swindled £376,000 from the business.

Mark Jackson was appointed managing director of Longport-based Jackmark Engineering shortly before the large-scale fraud came to light.

It transpired that Tracy Bowman had used the company as her ‘personal piggy bank.’ Father-of-one Mark Jackson, of Cheadle, said he had very little to do with 56-year-old Bowman before changing roles but felt there was ‘nothing untoward about her.’

He even said Jackmark went ‘above and beyond’ to offer Bowman flexible working hours to enable her to care for her mother.

Bowman, of Kidsgrove, spent £200,000 of company cash on funding her gambling addiction and a further £100,000 on online shopping.

She pleaded guilty to fraud and was jailed for 30 months at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court earlier this month.

Mark, 42, said: “When I became involved in the accounts in April, I began to notice initial discrepancies of £1,000 to £2,000. Delving deeper into the accounts, it revealed further anomalies within the internal bookkeeping system.”

When the fraudulent activity came top light, Bowman was suspended and Staffordshire Police was informed.

Mark said: “At no point did Tracy admit to any wrongdoing throughout our internal investigation. She tried to mask her dishonest activities. Tracy was a trusted and valued member of our team, and discovering her involvement in the fraud has left us feeling betrayed and deceived.”

Bowman started working as the company’s secretary and bookkeeper in 2019.

Over a three-year-period, she created false invoices so funding would be paid into the accounts she controlled. She also made payments into her own bank account.

Her fraud resulted in a significant financial loss for the company, risking the livelihood of its 20 employees.

During the investigation, police found Bowman had made internet searches for ‘fraud by employees’; ‘whether disciplinary proceedings would cease on resignation’; ‘how to get away with not attending court’; and ‘faking a drug addiction.’

Mark said: “I was absolutely shocked to think that somebody in a position of trust could do such a thing and believe that they could simply get away with it. With no remorse or repercussions.

“It’s a testament to the staff at Jackmark Engineering that the company had the resilience to overcome the financial challenges this fraudulent activity has caused.”