Reading Crown Court has heard that Geoffrey Turner, a conman who had a string of fraud and theft convictions dating back to 1970, was in charge of all finances at marketing firm Market Penetration Services International (MPS) and its sister company Business to Business Internet International, based in High Wycombe, and between 1998 and 2001, signed 271 cheques worth thousands of pounds in his bosses' or other employees' names and channelled them into his own accounts.

Turner, who lived in the affluent commuter town of Blackwater, Hampshire, admitted 53 charges including false accounting, obtaining money by deception, theft and forgery, the Daily Mail reports.

Judge Gordon Risius called Turner ‘thoroughly corrupt and deceitful’, adding that he had ‘seriously breached’ his employers' trust and ‘almost bankrupted’ them.

Michael Libra, MPS retired group chairman, said he had estimated Turner’s fraudulent activities cost the firm £700,000.

Further reading:

Court confiscates £41m from Izodia director

Accountant charged over £1.25m fraud scam

Read story in the Daily Mail