A SHEPTON MALLET man who siphoned off nearly £23,000 from his boss’s account at the haulage company where he worked is to be sentenced at Taunton Crown Court next month.

Alex Vaughan was working in the office at AM Beaton and Sons in Babcary when he diverted 42 bank payments into his own personal account over the course of just two months.

When the offences came to light he was arrested and appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil charged with fraud.

Vaughan, 34, of Tallow Wood, pleaded guilty that between February 15 and April 17 at Ash View Farm, he committed fraud in that while being an administration assistant he stole £22,399.17 for himself.

Prosecutor Ben Winzer said that Vaughan started working for the company in 2022 as a ground worker but worked his way up and began working in the office.

“His boss, Mr Beaton, is dyslexic, and over the course of several months Vaughan paid 42 separate transactions into his own personal bank account,” he said.

“The total amount of money transferred was £22,399.17, although there is a dispute over £810 of that amount.

“The defendant was put in a position of trust, and he had responsibility to pay invoices using the company bank account, however he diverted a number of payments into his own bank account.”

Defending solicitor Joe Wright said that the case clearly needed to be dealt with at the crown court and said there were “reasons” as to why this offence occurred.

The magistrates ordered Vaughan to be sentenced at Taunton Crown Court, currently sitting at North Somerset Magistrates Court, on December 13 and requested a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the Probation Service.