A man who admitted stealing over £24,000 from his Spalding based employer was today (Tuesday) spared an immediate jail sentence.
Tim Goodliff, 37, pleaded guilty to the theft of £24,490 from from CDS Labour (Agriculture) Ltd while working as a team leader in the transport planning department.
Sentence on Goodliff, of Thomas Middlecott Drive, Kirton, had been deferred by a Judge after he admitted a charge of theft by an employee over a 12 month period.
Leanne Summers, mitigating for Goodliff, told Lincoln Crown Court: “Sentence was deferred to prove Mr Goodliff could stay out of trouble, he has done that, and to fund repayment of the £24,490.
“To an extent he has done that. Mr Goodliff is in a position to repay £10,000 by the end of this week, just under half of the outstanding amount.
“More importantly Mr Goodliff has secured employment. He is due to start full time work as a food production operative in Boston.
“That employment comes with rent free accommodation so he will be in a position to pay back a further £1,000 a month.”
A victim impact statement from the owner of the company was read out in court.
It described how the fuel card theft had caused a high level of inconvenience to the business, impacting its profits, and had left the owner feeling “let down.”
Miss Summers told the court Goodliff had no previous convictions and argued the amount stolen was at the lower end of the relevant sentencing guidelines.
Passing sentence Recorder Andrew McLoughlin said he did not accept an assertion made by Goodliff that he had spent all of the money on spoiling his daughter.
“To be blunt you have narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence,” Recorder McLoughlin told Goodliff.
“It lasted over a year. You were in a position of trust, a team leader, promoted in the transport planning department.”
But Recorder McLoughlin said Goodliff had stayed out of trouble and was now in a position to repay his former employer.
Goodliff was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment which will be suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
