A Legal & General department boss was jailed for three years and four months yesterday for a half a million pound swindle on the company to fund his “luxury lifestyle.”
Father-of-six Anthony Murrell, 44, authorised payments to himself for IT cabling never supplied, spending the money on a dream home, jewellery, holidays and 4x4 vehicles.
The Hornchurch, Essex native was exposed just weeks after his redundancy from an £80,000 a year Infrastructure Manager position at the company’s City office in Coleman Street.
He sold his home conversion for £1.2m to repay L&G and moved to rented accommodation in The Paddock, Gleneagles, Perth and Kinross.
Judge Usha Karu, the Recorder of Southwark told him at Inner London Crown Court: “You had a poor start in life and it could be said you are a self-made man.
“You are deeply ashamed and remorseful for what you have done. You are a family man with six children and that is said to be now gone, your wife has started divorce proceedings and the property you dreamed of has now gone.
“The offence was entirely motivated by personal gain and there is evidence of extensive planning, a deliberate and calculated fraud that you thought wouldn’t have been discovered.
“The proceeds are used to fund what some may see as a luxurious lifestyle.”
He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation between October 21, 2014 and June 13, 2017, intending to cause a loss of £582,120.
The court heard Murrell was responsible for the maintenance of the IT department with a spending budget of up to £10,000 per order and over a two-and-half year span paid 53 bills to himself.
He invented a fictitious Brentwood-based cabling supply company called LillyPutts and using his wife’s name placed orders of around £9,900 - near his maximum budget - on all but four transactions.
Murrell used the Companies House number of a nursery school with a similar name and the VAT number of a stables.
He tried to cash in a few days before his redundancy on June 18, 2017 with a huge £50,000-plus order.
When quizzed by fraud police on January 25, last year Murrell admitted the offence, claiming he had to pay-off an aggressive builder he contracted to convert two adjoining cottages into one large family home.
“He was stealing money to get out of a financial hole,” said Alison Levitt QC, defending, explaining a £17,000 spend at a jewellers was to replace his wife’s engagement ring they were forced to sell.
The 4x4 cars were necessary to access their building site home and the holidays were merely ferry trips to the Continent, explained the QC.
Lying Murrell even forged a letter purportedly from his current employer to the judge, but withdrew it at the last moment. “Mr. Murrell wrote it himself because he is frightened of going to prison.”
Once L&G and the mortgage was repaid the family were left with £35,000 for their children’ trust fund and £10,000 cash for Murrell’s wife Vikki.
“The dream home that took thirteen years to realise is gone, his job is gone, his good character an reputation is gone and it looks like his marriage is gone, his wife is taking steps to divorce him.”
Afterwards Detective Constable Daniel Ward, of City of Police Fraud Squad said: “Murrell betrayed the trust of his employer and exploited his position to steal more than half a million pounds.
“While he claimed he needed it for house renovations, it’s clear that he also used it to enjoy a luxury lifestyle, with items such as cars and jewellery.”
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