Fraudster gets 'a chance' after scamming car dealership out of £20,000

A fraudster who scammed his employer out of over £20,000 has walked free from court after saying he was 'really sorry' for his actions.

Michael Kenworthy, 31, used his employment as an accounts assistant at Cartime dealership in Bury to fraudulently claim thousands of pounds of company money, as well as stealing a car. He was brought down after his managing director spotted 'unusual activity' in the company's bank accounts, and admitted to the fraud. He later pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud by abuse of position.

Appearing at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday (March 21), he said he was 'genuinely sorry' for his actions and 'regrets it more than anything' in his life. Kenworthy escaped jail time after Mr Recorder Fewtrell handed him 'a chance'.

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Prosecuting, Ms Alexandra Carrier said Kenworthy had worked at Cartime since July 2017 but his range of offending spanned between February 28, 2018, and March 23, 2021. The court heard how in March 2021, the managing director of Carwise questioned Kenworthy after identifying 'unusual activity' between company bank accounts. Kenworthy admitted to setting up payments that appeared to show a vehicle worth £1,700 he had purchased from the dealership had been paid for. During questioning, he accepted that he had not, in fact, paid for it.

This triggered a review of the company's bank accounts by Barclays Bank, which found a number of refund transactions had been directed to an HSBC card belonging to Kenworthy. The court heard how these transactions amounted to £20,000 in what Recorder Fewtrell called 'sophisticated' and 'sustained' fraud.

Defending himself, Kenworthy said he was 'genuinely