Hotel worker pays back money gained in fraud

A former Haverhill hotel deputy manager who in August was given a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to defrauding his bosses out of £5,000 has now repaid all the money a court was told today.

At the August hearing Taro Rawles, 41, of Vetch Walk, Haverhill, was given six months suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 250 hours unpaid work and pay £400 costs with a victim surcharge of £80.

However, the issue of compensation was delayed and the court was told today that Rawles has now repaid the full amount with the result that a the Proceeds of Crime application to recover the money was withdrawn by the prosecution.

Rawles, who had been the manager of the Days Inn, on Phoenix Road, Haverhill, pleaded guilty in June this year to fraud by abuse of trust which involved using the hotel's cash to pay off his own credit card.

Mark Lakin, prosecuting, had told the court Rawles obtained £5,051.57 involving 25 transactions using the card payment facilities to credit refunds onto his card.