Kensworth catering boss jailed after stealing over £500k from company

A man who stole more than half a million pounds from the catering company he helped run has been jailed for more than four years.
Craig Sharpe stole over half a million pounds from the catering business he helped runCraig Sharpe stole over half a million pounds from the catering business he helped run
Craig Sharpe stole over half a million pounds from the catering business he helped run

Craig Sharpe, 54, of Common Road, Kensworth, took money out of the firm he was running for three years, between 2016 and 2019, before the discrepancy was discovered.

Colleagues raised concerns about a number of suspicious financial transactions from the company’s account to Sharpe’s personal account to one of the company directors.

Sharpe had been using fake ‘receipts’ tags to transfer small sums of money a couple times each week, claiming it as petty cash. He also took a loan out in the company’s name to purchase a high-end vehicle.

The financial investigation discovered that he had been spending the stolen money to fuel his extravagant lifestyle and gambling addiction.

After pleading guilty to fraud by abuse of position, Sharpe has now been jailed for four years and two months.

Detective Sergeant Ryan Barnes, who supported the investigation, said: “Sharpe used the trust of his colleagues to transfer smaller sums of money a couple of times a week, claiming it as business expenses.

“Once the fraud was spotted by one of the company’s employees and he was confronted about his dishonest behaviour, he admitted his gambling problem and stealing the money from the company.

“This was a blatant betrayal of the trust of his colleagues, all in the name of financial gain, and we are glad we have been able to secure some justice for them.”