Former manager of The Fox Inn, Kelham, found guilty of fraud after pocketing £1,000 payment meant for the business
A pub manager pocketed a £1,000 payment for a wedding booking at The Fox Inn, Kelham.
Jason Kitteringham, 50, of Portland Street, Newark, was found to have provided his personal bank details to a customer.
He had denied fraud for personal gain but was found guilty after a trial at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and received a suspended prison sentence.
Kitteringham was employed as manager of the pub from 2018 to 2020 — under owner Jonathan Pass — and had previously worked under Mr Pass as a manager at Kelham Hall.
Mr Pass told the court that he had had total trust in Kitteringham over that seven-year period.
He also confirmed that Kitteringham had the details to the Fox Inn's bank account.
The offence followed email correspondence between Kitteringham and customer Edward Joyner between December 2019 and February 2020, in which time Mr Joyner arranged to pay £1,000 for the Fox Inn's accommodation for his upcoming wedding.
Kitteringham offered to take the payment via bank transfer, over the phone or in person on Mr Joyner's arrival. Despite offering a bank transfer, Kitteringham told the court he had no knowledge of, or access to, a business bank account.
In a statement read to the court, Mr Joyner said: "In January 2020, I paid £1,000 through bank transfer to who I thought was the Fox Inn."
He had instead been provided Kitteringham's personal bank details. Kitteringham later told the customer the transfer had gone through, and his stay was booked.
Kitteringham claimed that whilst he took the payment into his own account, he paid the money back in cash from a recent sale of his caravan by depositing an envelope of £1,000 with Mr Joyner's booking details on it with the business' accounts department, based in Kelham Hall. He told the court this was standard practice for the pub's cash payments — which would then be banked by the department.
Due to the pandemic Mr Joyner was forced to cancel his wedding and the accommodation, and, upon requesting a refund from The Fox Inn in 2021, no record of his booking or payment could be traced in the business' accounts. He was unable to be refunded.
In evidence, Mr Pass denied that money could have gone missing, and said he would have been notified if accounts received £1,000.
By the time it was discovered, Kitteringham had left the business.
In his police interview, Kitteringham was asked if he had taken money into his own account before.
He said: "A dozen times, when the card machine wasn't working."
He later denied that in court, and claimed he was flustered in his interview.
The prosecutor said: "I would say you lied to the police to make it seem like the norm, like a regular thing.
"You had the intention to deprive Mr Pass of those monies.
"Times were hard for everyone, did you think you would just pocket it?
"You did a private transaction hoping to pocket £1,000 and abused your position of trust."
The defence asked for a non-custodial sentence as Kitteringham is the breadwinner for his family and the impact would be devastating.
Kitteringham received an 18-week sentence, suspended for one year, and was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £1,000 compensation to Mr Joyner and court fees of £742 in costs.
