Jailed accountant who defrauded NHS ordered to pay back nearly £240k
An accountant who was jailed for defrauding the NHS, companies and individuals, has been ordered to pay back nearly £240,000 and faces an additional 20 months in prison if he fails to pay.
Stephen Day, 55, was sentenced to 11 years and five months imprisonment at Leeds Crown Court on 15 April 2021, after he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud and two counts of theft.
Day lied, used his authority in job positions and manipulated his personal relationships to take advantage of and defraud a wide variety of victims of over £1.3 million. His targets included companies, three NHS trusts and individuals.
He used this money obtained fraudulently to fund his own lavish lifestyle, including buying several properties and travelling to foreign countries, including a trip to Malta.
Because Day used a web of transactions between several accounts to conceal his offending, calculating the true value of his ill-gotten gains required significant work. Trying to recoup this money from Day was made even more complicated by the fact he was subject to a Bankruptcy Order.
The CPS worked tirelessly to engage with the Trustee in Bankruptcy to identify assets that were available to him, including all four of his pensions, all his shares, his car and a personalised number plate.
On 6 January 2023, a Confiscation Order was made against Day, covering all of his available assets, which together were valued at £237,688.61. He has been given three months to pay and in the event of non-payment the default sentence was set at 20 months' imprisonment.
Tori Boycott, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Stephen Day was calculated in his offending and despite his attempts to conceal the true scale of funds fraudulently gained and filing for bankruptcy, this did not prevent a Confiscation Order from being made.
“The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division worked closely with the police Financial Investigator to ensure Day was stripped of his available assets, even targeting his pensions. The money recovered will be used to compensate his victims.
“This case illustrates that even when criminals are convicted and sentenced, we will work hard to continue to pursue them for the money they owe, or they risk an additional sentence of imprisonment being imposed.”
The CPS is committed to working with law enforcement to identify and prosecute those that profit from fraud, particularly where it impacts the NHS.
Notes to editors
- Tori Boycott is a specialist prosecutor in CPS Proceeds of Crime Division, which is part of the CPS Serious Economic Organised and International Directorate (SEOCID)
- Where a defendant refuses to pay their Confiscation Order in a timely way, CPS Proceeds of Crime Division can invite the court to impose an additional default sentence on them of up to 14 years' imprisonment. The full debt continues to be in force until it is paid, and interest is charged against it at the civil judgement debt rate, currently 8%
- Where they are found to have additional available assets in the future, the CPS may ask the court to revisit the order and make an additional confiscation order up to the value of their full criminal benefit.