[imagesource:gencraftai]

A Gqeberha bookkeeper who stole millions from his employers was sentenced in the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, receiving a prescribed minimum of 15 years in jail.

47-year-old Harold Henry was found guilty of swindling beneficiaries of the Suenay and Digby White trust out of R14.4 million between 2019 and 2021. Some of the stolen funds included an insurance payout received after Digby was diagnosed with cancer. That’s pretty low.

Instead of skipping the country and living large with his stolen funds, it was revealed that Henry had a gambling addiction, and spent every cent.

The dodgy dealings were discovered in December 2021 when an auditor noticed that someone had been cooking the books, and when he ‘followed the money’, all signs pointed to the bookkeeper, who upon being caught out tried to drink poison in a failed suicide attempt.

Having trusted Henry after meeting him through the church, the White couple now have nothing left and are millions in debt. During sentencing, Magistrate Lionel Lindoor said the fact that Henry stole money intended for someone suffering from a disease was “reprehensible.”

He added that it would be beneficial to society if Henry was removed from it.

Lindoor said “There is enough aggravating circumstances to compel the court to impose a heftier sentence than the prescribed minimum 15 years.”

He added that although Henry had pleaded guilty, “this did not indicate that he was remorseful about his actions. He also had not sought any psychological help for his gambling addiction.”

“The evidence against you was so overwhelming that you had no choice but to plead guilty.”

The White couple, who couldn’t stop smiling after hearing the sentence, told News24 they expected a lighter sentence, and that they were pleasantly surprised that more years had been added to his sentence.

“We are so happy that justice is served and we can finally move on with our lives. We are now closing this book,” Suenay said.

There are never any winners when gambling is involved, only losers.

[source:news24]