

Kings Heavy Haulage said it is “absolutely gutted” after its former transport manager was found guilty of stealing almost £15,000 from the business.
Wayne Holden (pictured below) pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud at Bristol Crown Court, which heard how he had directed 14 payments to his personal bank account and marked the related jobs as cancelled in the company’s books.
He was also found to have stolen cash on two occasions, bringing his theft to a total of £14,946.
Holden was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for a year, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Sarah King, quality manager at Kings Heavy Haulage, discovered Holden’s scheme when she found an invoice Holden had tampered with in the company’s computer system.
“I was heartbroken. As a family and a business we’re absolutely gutted. I sat next to him and worked beside him for 10 years. He was basically family.”
King told CM that Holden’s actions have had a significant effect on the way the company conducts business.
“We’ve had to change the way we do our finances, and change so many other things to prevent this from happening again. We’ve had the odd little scam over the years, but for someone to steal thousands of pounds from right under your nose – it really bites when you see what people are capable of.
“We look after our staff, they’re precious to us. Wayne had a healthy wage, a company car, a monthly bonus scheme. But after all that, he was still taking from us.”
King added that the business will live on regardless of the stolen revenue.
“He didn’t take enough for it to put us out of business. We’re moving on now. We’re stronger and smarter for it.”
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