Gay man who stole £170,000 from his employer because he claimed his ex-wife was blackmailing him over his sexuality is jailed for two years

Christopher Brown spent money from company cheques on school fees

Claimed his wife threatened to out him if he did not lavish spending on her

Jailed for two years after being found guilty of theft



A finance director has been jailed for two years after he stole £170,000 from his employer because he claimed his ex-wife was blackmailing him over his sexuality.

Christopher Brown, 55, used the cash to pay off his mounting debts which he said he racked up to keep former wife Mandy Brown quiet about his secret life.

A court heard that after she discovered he had been phoning gay chatlines, Mrs Brown threatened to out her husband unless he agreed to an ‘excessive spending’ spree.



Theft: Christopher Brown (left) has been jailed for two years for stealing £170,000 from his employer. He said he took the money because he was being blackmailed by his then wife Mandy after she discovered he was gay



It included paying private education fees for their son, hotel stays, a Florida holiday home and dining out, a court heard.

Mrs Brown, who is aged in her 50s, faced no police action and has said that she 'completely denied' her ex-husband’s version of events.

Brown, a finance director for Dawson’s, a luxury goods firm in Bournemouth, Dorset, siphoned off £170,000 from company accounts by paying 56 cheques to his own bank account.

His deceit came to light when an internal audit was carried out while he was on holiday.

When confronted, Brown resigned and went to live in France where his new male partner had bought a bed and breakfast.

Brown , from Lymington, Hampshire, denied four counts of theft but was found guilty following a trial and was jailed for two years.

Judge Recorder James Watson QC said: 'You chose to siphon off cash from company business accounts to fund your own financial expenditure.

Employer: Brown worked for luxury electronics retailer Dawsons, pictured, for 23 years

'I do take into account the pressures upon your life - your own sexuality - and the shame of being unable to admit to yourself your sexuality.'

Bournemouth Crown Court heard Brown joined family firm Dawson’s in 1980 and worked there for 23 years.

In 1997 his marriage deteriorated when his then wife discovered a telephone bill that showed he was calling the chatlines. Brown claimed he destroyed the bill only for Mrs Brown to arrange for another one to be sent to them before threatening him with blackmail.

He said: 'She took exception; I was desperate not to leave the family so I got into this financial mess.'

The couple eventually split up in June 2003 when he moved to France. Dorset police tried to persuade Brown to return to the UK for questioning for theft but he refused and a European Arrest Warrant was issued in 2009.

Court: Brown faces prison time when he is sentenced next month at Bournemouth Crown Court, pictured

He was eventually arrested by French police on the warrant in October 2011 and returned to the UK in last April.

Brown insisted he had only borrowed the money and had repaid £120,000 over a two-year period.

Brian Sharman, defending, said: 'He didn’t believe he was acting dishonestly; some of the stolen funds were repaid. It was a very unusual set of circumstances; he was a loyal and decent employee for years.'

As well as being jailed Brown was ordered to pay £4,800 costs and the prosecution reserved its right to apply for the forfeiture of his assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

After the case, Detective Constable Andrew Stuckes, of Dorset police’s financial investigation unit, said: 'Brown was a trusted employee who carried out a systematic series of thefts in order to satisfy his lavish spending. Only the stability of Dawsons helped it to weather the financial storm.

'Mr Brown had to be forced to return from abroad and has now, rightly, been held to account for his actions.'



