Builders' merchant manager steals £40k to build house in Tunisia

The former manager of a South Wales builders' merchant has been jailed for nine months after stealing £40,000 from his employer to build a house in Tunisia.

William O’Brien, 52, pleaded guilty at Newport Crown Court to stealing the money from Blaenavon Builders’ Merchants. 

He also pleaded guilty to false accounting and fraud, reports the South Wales Argus.

The court heard how the company's owner, Paul Jones, could not understand why Blaenavon was making large sales but small profit margins.

The theft came to light when Jones employed other workers to help O'Brien, thinking he could not cope with the workload.

O'Brien used most of the stolen money to pay for the construction of a house in Tunisia.

Blaenavon's financial performance recovered after O'Brien left, but subsequently slumped and the company closed on 31 March.

Jones said that had it not been for the theft, Blaenavon would have survived as a business for another two years.