£200k accountant stole £2.4m to fund gambling addiction

AN ACCOUNTANT stole more than £2.4m from the companies she worked for while receiving a salary of £200,000.

- BRYANA FRANCIS

Jemma Lewis, 40, stole millions from the company where she'd worked for over 10 years in order to fund her gambling addiction.

A court was told Lewis' actions caused considerable stress to other members of staff, causing one director to leave, another to lose out on his salary, and one woman unable to access her pension. It also meant the companies she worked for didn’t contribute enough tax.

Newport Crown Court heard that Lewis committed fraud against five different companies which were inside the same family of companies owned by James Davies.

These included Daisy Vale Ltd, Charnwood Accounts, Edward Davies Construction and Fastnet Properties Ltd.

Alex Orndal, prosecuting, told the court that Lewis began working for Mr Davies in 2007, first holding a role as a receptionist.