A JUDGE has ordered a ‘greedy’ fleet car advisor with Provident Financial to repay his former employer more than £55,000 in compensation after he stole company cars and spent some of his ill-gotten gains on designer sunglasses and bags.

Keith Waud-Richard, 54, was jailed for three years and two months in March, 2020, after he abused his position of trust at the firm to steal company cars worth more than £200,000.

Judge Jonathan Rose said greed had been the reason for the systematic offending that involved ‘cooking the books’ to cover his tracks.

He told Waud-Richard at the time that he had manipulated the system to satisfy his greed and had spent some of the vast sum he obtained on ‘irrelevant fripperies’ such as designer sunglasses and bags.

The court heard that Waud-Richard, who was on a £27,000-a-year salary as a vehicle fleet advisor, had a holiday caravan at Bridlington and when his Mercedes SLK was searched, investigators found about £18,000 in cash in the boot.

Prosecutor Adam Walker said in total more than £27,000 in cash was seized and luxury items, including Louis Vuitton and Gucci jewellery, worth nearly £10,000 were also recovered.

Waud-Richard, of Trent Avenue, Wakefield, pleaded guilty to theft, accepting that he had dishonestly sold-on 26 cars and obtained £216,652.

He been employed as vehicle fleet advisor since 2009 and had complete control over the disposal of cars.

After an investigation began in 2018, he went on long-term sick leave.

The court heard that he used ‘an innocent dupe’ to sell on the vehicles and he received the book value of the cars.

David McGonigal, Waud-Richard’s barrister, said at the time that he had lost his job and the respect of friends and family.

Judge Rose said he had risen through the ranks to his position of trust but over nearly six years he had feathered his nest with the purchase of irrelevant fripperies.

“You were in possession of thousands of pounds in cash when your world came tumbling down, thankfully, by your arrest,” Judge Rose said.

Waud-Richard, who is now out of prison, appeared before Bradford Crown Court today for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act. It was agreed that his benefit from crimi-nal conduct totalled £247,420.47.

His available assets amounted to £55,304.94 which will be paid in compensation to Provident Financial Limited.

Recorder Olivia Checa-Dover confirmed the making of the order and gave Waud-Richard three months to pay up.