Dad and daughter sentenced for ‘appalling betrayal’ after stealing £25,000 from employer

A father and daughter who stole more than £25k from their employer have been sentenced for their ‘appalling betrayal.’

Martyn Slender, 53, worked as managing director for the company, which was based in Wisbech and set up by his friend in 2015.

His daughter, Bethany Slender, 25, worked as an office assistant and later a transport manager.

In 2016, about a year after the haulage business began trading, the victim and owner of the company noticed it was starting to struggle, despite high levels of interest and a growing customer base.

After seeking advice from a business consultant, who suggested some improvements, the business started to pick up again.

In 2017, Martyn Slender approached the victim about a pay rise. His request was declined at the time and an explanation given.

About a year later, the victim noticed the business was starting to struggle again, despite the ever-expanding customer base. After speaking with a number of potential customers who had contacted him directly, the victim was alerted to the fact they struggled to get hold of Martyn or Bethany and, perhaps more alarmingly, discovered the pair had been instructing drivers to take on a number of “cash in hand” jobs and return the cash directly to them.

On further inspection, the victim discovered these jobs had not been put through the books and the total amounted to tens of thousands of pounds.

Martyn Slender, of Henry Warby Avenue, Wisbech, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud. He was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison at Peterborough Crown Court last week (7 July).

Bethany Slender, of Sycamore Close, March, pleaded guilty to fraud. She was ordered to carry out 125 hours of unpaid work and pay £323 in compensation.

Detective Constable Mat Belfitt, who investigated, said: “This was an appalling betrayal of a friend who gave this pair well-paid roles within his business in order to help them out of financial difficulty.

“Today is the culmination four years of hard work to convict these two for the crimes they committed against the victim.

“I’m glad justice has been done today and hope this serves as a warning to others how seriously we take these crimes.”