Catering boss jailed for stealing £1.2m
A former director of a South Yorkshire catering firm has been jailed for four years for stealing £1.2m, leading to a company's collapse and the loss of 350 jobs.
James Burdall, 48, was sentenced at Sheffield City Crown Court after admitting four counts of fraud by abuse of position, reported BBC News.
Burdall funded a "lavish lifestyle" by moving cash into his personal accounts after becoming director of Out of Town Leisure Group and Bradwell's Ice Cream in 2006, when the owner Lawrence Wosskow moved abroad.
He spent money on an indoor swimming pool, landscaped gardens, private school fees and fine art.
Wosskow discovered what was happening through a business associate in 2010 and a three-year investigation followed.
Out of Town Leisure Group went into administration days later, leading to the loss of about 350 jobs including about 100 at Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre.