A WOMAN who kept her 'industrial scale' theft of almost £200,000 of office supplies hidden from her family and employers has been jailed.

Karen Belton, of Gainsborough Road, Lower Walton, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday for stealing stamps and printer cartridges during a six-year spell from 2009.

The 41-year-old business service manager was ordering staggering quantities of supplies and then selling the majority on eBay – often on her work laptop – and pocketing the ill-gotten gains.

Judge David Aubrey, sentencing, told Belton: "You are a woman of good character.

"You are described as a caring, loving mother who would put anyone before herself.

"I am aware of the issues that you have had relating to anxiety and stress."

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However, he stated that any mitigation brought before the court could not be strong enough to avoid sending her to jail.

He added: "You were stealing from your employers.

"You are described as a hard working woman but what you were doing was taking these items yourself and pocketing the proceeds of your ill-gotten gains which was at least £160,000.

"It is an awful lot of money for any employer to lose.

"Your husband, family and close friends knew nothing of that, so much was your shame.

"You hit it from others and so it was that every time you entered your home you were now living a lie from who those who stood by you throughout.

"There must now come a time when you are parted because as I have stated, this is so serious that only immediate custody is justified.

"This was a gross abuse of trust."

Warrington Guardian: Liverpool Crown Court

Liverpool Crown Court

David Polglase, prosecuting, said Belton was working with Multos International and her role as business service manager involved looking after the purchase of office supplies.

After the company relocated, a review by auditors picked up on the large amount of stamps and printer cartridges which were ordered by Belton between 2009 and 2015.

Bank statements and ebay accounts uncovered a number of transactions from another company who sold discounted stamps.

That company had contact with Belton between 2009 and 2015 through eBay but never suspected her of stealing from her employers.

By looking at Belton's bank account, from 2011 until she left the company, Belton received £119,512.40 by selling on the items.

Between 2009 and 2011, she received £39,967.50 taking the total theft to £159,479.90.

Beyond this amount the court said it was hard to say how much more was stolen from the company, but it could be up to £200,000.

Since the defendant left the company, it has not spent any money on stamps and they have only spent £815 per year on printer cartridges compared to £6,700 when Belton was working for them.

The defendant was interviewed on September 29, 2017 where she accepted ordering the items.

She said she would take them from a drawer and sell them, using an eBay account from her work laptop, a few times each month.

Jason Smith, defending, said the 41-year-old had a good character with no previous convictions and was disgusted with herself for her behaviour and the impact her actions had caused to her family.

He said her arrest came as a shock to her and in one way she thought she had got away with it.

In 2009, when she started stealing, she was in debt, had health problems and was spending more than she could afford to keep her house going.

Mr Smith added: "We are dealing with a significant amount of money with no real explanation as to where it went.

"Takeaways and meals aren't living lavishly and any sentence should have full regard to her plea and her mitigation.

"She hid it from everyone, even her husband, but she struck up the courage to tell him before she went to court."

Judge Aubrey sentenced Belton to 20 months in custody after pleading guilty to one count of theft.

Speaking after the sentence was passed detective constable Carl Davis said: “The audacity and arrogance of Belton is quite simply unbelievable.

“She stole stamps and printer cartridges on an industrial scale and even had the nerve to operate her eBay account from her work laptop during work hours.

“She had a number clients that she dealt with on a regular basis, purchasing stamps and cartridges through her work account after receiving their orders through eBay.

“In total we estimate that Belton stole approximately £200,000 worth of goods during her time at the company, with one client paying £159,479 into her account.

“Thankfully, as a result of the routine audit and a thorough investigation from Cheshire Police, Belton is now facing the consequences of her actions.”