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Dad who thought he was dying stole £150,000 from his employers

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
Dad who thought he was dying stole £150,000 from his employers
23 November 2013 Birmingham UK

A dad who feared he was dying stole more than £150,000 from his employers so he and his family could “live life to the full” in the time he had remaining, a court heard.

Roy Ritchie, 33, had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and believed his life would be cut short by the debilitating illness, also known as ME.

Birmingham Crown Court heard he used his position as a finance officer to steal £150,000 from his company over a period of almost three years.

Ritchie, of Whitehouse Common Road, Sutton Coldfield, pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

But the jail term was suspended for two years after the court heard about his illness.

He was also ordered to carry out 240 hours unpaid work.

‘‘He was very concerned as to his life expectancy and he was keen to enjoy, as far as possible, the time that he knew he had with his children and his wife.’’

Mr Williams said although Ritchie had been “deceitful”, his plundering had “not been sophisticated” and as soon as a member of staff noticed irregularities it was “very easy” to identify what was going on.

He said when his client started the fraud he had been under financial pressure, although later it turned into greed.

But Ritchie had not been splashing the cash on villas or flash cars, Mr Williams said, although there were “indulgences” such as family holidays.

In passing sentence, Recorder Stephens said there had been a background of illness and domestic upheaval. Although Ritchie had taken a “substantial” amount, the judge accepted the money had not been spent on a lavish lifestyle.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a condition causing extreme tiredness and exhaustion. Although not terminal, there is no cure and treatment ranges from exercise therapy and counselling, to drugs to control pain and nausea.
 

lauluce

as long as you manage to stay alive, there's hope
Messages
591
Location
argentina
yeah, sick man goes bananas...he gets court and jail
bankers steal billions, rig the markets, deal with terrorists and cartels that behead women, and they get nothing: "too big to jail"

*makes universal sign in the air for "self pleasuring"*
Business as usual in bullshit Britain!

The problem is that the people is gonna think that his sicknes was indeed being bananas in the first place... more bad press indeed
On a side note, I had a fantasy about all bankers getting CFS :p
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
yeah, sick man goes bananas...he gets court and jail
bankers steal billions, rig the markets, deal with terrorists and cartels that behead women, and they get nothing: "too big to jail"

*makes universal sign in the air for "self pleasuring"*
Business as usual in bullshit Britain!

He didn't go to jail His sentence was suspended because of his diagnosis and (presumably) his state of health - though it is interesting that no reference is made to a medical report.

Also his diagnosis was seen as a key influence on his decision to commit fraud and theft. If his defence that this diagnosis would be a death sentence was really believed: I wonder where he got the idea that ME was fatal?

Da internet?
 

Marco

Grrrrrrr!
Messages
2,386
Location
Near Cognac, France
He didn't go to jail His sentence was suspended because of his diagnosis and (presumably) his state of health - though it is interesting that no reference is made to a medical report.

Also his diagnosis was seen as a key influence on his decision to commit fraud and theft. If his defence that this diagnosis would be a death sentence was really believed: I wonder where he got the idea that ME was fatal?
Da internet?

That was my first thought. Evil internet self-help groups convinced this poor man that he was going to die. Another straw man?

Plus the judge was so impressed by his medical plight (a condition whose cardinal symptom is easy physical and mental fatigueability) that his mitigated sentence was 240 hours of unpaid work?

Judicial CBT and GET?
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Wow 240 hours of unpaid work.....for CFS/ME the prison sentence might have been easier since many feel they are prisoners already (to body and home), judge was apparently empathetic but once again really did not 'get it'. However it appears he was able to work.
 

biophile

Places I'd rather be.
Messages
8,977
Although he may not end up dying from CFS, it is certainly possible that he will become increasingly disabled over the next decade because of disease progression, as this is what happens to a significant proportion of patients.

What he did was wrong, but unless there are treatment breakthroughs in this coming decade, he may indeed look back in 10 years time and feel that he made the most of the remaining capacity he had left in the earlier stages of illness.
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
Although he may not end up dying from CFS, it is certainly possible that he will become increasingly disabled over the next decade because of disease progression, as this is what happens to a significant proportion of patients.

What he did was wrong, but unless there are treatment breakthroughs in this coming decade, he may indeed look back in 10 years time and feel that he made the most of the remaining capacity he had left in the earlier stages of illness.

They will I am sure seek to recover the debt in some way. If he owns his house perhaps they will go after that? Leaving one's family destitute is not perhaps something to look back on with fondness.

And he now has a record - criminal I suppose?

I wonder how he explained the windfall to his family?

Of course his rationale in court could be a load of bollocks. His defence seems to have worked though - at least it kept him out of prison. I suppose the Community Work order is similarly suspended pending improvement in health.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
They can't blame it on the internet then.

If he had looked and joined groups he would maybe have spent it all on the Lightning Process or any of the other money depleting quack "quick fixes" that abound in the UK.
 
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