Court hears that David Outterside stole thousands from Storey Sons and Parker

Sep 26 2009 by Garry Willey, The Journal

A TRUSTED property manager stole thousands of pounds from his employers when his family finances hit the rocks.

David Outterside had worked for the Newcastle branch of chartered surveyors Storey Sons and Parker since 1994 and was a well regarded member of staff.

The firm even put him through university and he rose through the ranks from clerical assistant to rent and property manager.

But when his family home went into negative equity and money became short, he stole nearly £20,000 from his employers.

Subsequent internal control procedures within in the company identified Outterside as the person responsible for the sizeable theft.

He pleaded guilty to theft and fraud at Newcastle Crown Court and was jailed for 12 months.

Andrew Langman, finance director at Storey Sons and Parker, said Outterside was a well-liked and trusted member of staff.

He said: “We were extremely surprised and disappointed when we realised he had been stealing. We took the matter extremely seriously and reported it to the police. Internal procedures identified him as being behind the theft and when approached he immediately admitted it.

“He was instantly dismissed in August last year for gross misconduct.

“David was a well-liked and trusted member of staff and we feel what he did was an extreme abuse of trust, especially considering how long he’d been here.

“He needs to appreciate the seriousness of what he’s done and I think the sentence reflects that.

“People in the company were shocked and stunned when they found out. It was a mix of emotions for us all, shock then we felt a bit sorry for him, now we feel angry. We put him through university and everything, so it really was a complete surprise.”