Shropshire Star

Accountant in £1.8m scam from Bermudan government stole £50,000 from his mother

The former accountant was sentenced for theft on Thursday having already been jailed for scamming the Bermudan government

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Jeffrey Bevan jailed

An accountant who was jailed for scamming £1.8 million from the Bermudan government has had his sentence increased for stealing £50,000 from his own mother.

Jeffrey Bevan, 51, convinced his elderly mother he would invest her life savings for her own benefit just months after returning from the British oversees territory.

The father-of-two had previously worked as a senior manager at the department of the Accountant General of Bermuda, where he had used his knowledge of its new finance system to steal £1.8 million in 52 separate thefts over two years.

A court previously heard he transferred £1.3 million of the money to UK bank accounts which he used to pay off the £140,000 mortgage on his house, invest in 11 properties and buy two Mercedes Benz cars.

Bevan was also described as a “gambling addict”, with Paddy Power revealing that he had made 18,853 bets online between 2008 and 2014.

He also enjoyed a lavish lifestyle with family holidays to the Caribbean, United States and Europe, and attended the races at Royal Ascot as a VIP.

In 2013, he and his family returned to their home in Cwmbran, South Wales, where he then scammed his mother Lavinia Bevan out of £50,000 after telling her to write out a cheque which he would invest on her behalf.

Mrs Bevan has since passed away, but her other son, Jason Bevan, told Cardiff Crown Court in a victim impact statement on Thursday: “If she was alive today she would be appalled with Jeff’s actions.”

Bevan, who was found guilty of theft, appeared at the court via videolink from HMP Parc, having already been jailed for seven years and four months in February after admitting to three counts of transferring criminal property and 10 counts of converting criminal property relating to the cash laundered from Bermuda.

Prosecutor Tim Evans said: “Plainly this was in high breach of trust given the vulnerability of the mother at the time.”

Martin Taylor, defending, said Bevan’s wife, Samantha, 53, and his 17-year-old and 14-year-old daughters were standing by him and continue to visit him at HMP Parc in Bridgend.

Judge Michael Fitton QC told Bevan: “The account you gave to your brother was the money was going to be invested for your mother’s benefit, but that was not the case.

“You then lied to your brother about her being confused about certain aspects of the money.

“You misled family and rejected your familial relationships in a shocking manner.”

Bevan, from Orchid Court, Ty Canol, Cwmbran, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, which will be served consecutively to his existing jail term.

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