A man has been found guilty of stealing thousands from a scrap metal company owned by his wife’s family – funding a lavish lifestyle of luxury holidays, new cars and expensive meals – despite being treated with “nothing but kindness”.
Following a one-week trial in Jersey’s Royal Court, 46-year-old Benjamin Mitton was convicted of one count of larceny as a servant and two counts of money laundering.
Mitton had been a trusted manager at Hunt Bros Limited, a family-run business operating in the island for more than 170 years. The firm’s owners were Mitton’s father-in-law and brother-in-law.
Treated with “nothing but kindness”
They had welcomed him into the business and even let him live rent-free in a house owned by the company.
But between March 2015 and July 2019, while the company’s profits plunged, Mitton quietly deposited £398,000 in cash into his personal bank accounts.
Crown Advocate Mike Preston, prosecuting, told the court Mitton had abused that trust by spending company cash on lavish holidays, including cruises and other luxury purchases.
“The defendant abused that trust in the most callous way to enrich himself to the detriment of his family, his in-laws, who treated him with nothing but kindness,” he told the court earlier in the trial.
The thefts went undetected for years, with Mitton responsible for withdrawing cash from the business’s bank account to pay scrap metal customers. Hunt Bros’ unsophisticated cash-based system relied heavily on trust – which Mitton exploited.
During the trial, the business’s managing director, James Hunt, described how, for years, the company had not been making the profits it should have, leading him to break down in front of Mitton.
It was not until police investigators began digging through the company’s records that the true scale of the missing cash was uncovered.
“Something was seriously wrong”
Giving evidence, Mr Hunt said: “To think that someone would come in and abuse our trust, betray us in this way – I was angry. I was very, very upset.”
He said it was clear something was wrong during Mitton’s time at the business: “It appeared that someone had been taking… The profits and company performance went down. When Mr Mitton left they were back to where they should be. It was a breath of fresh air.”
An investigation into Mitton’s finances showed he had no other legitimate source of income that could explain the huge cash deposits into his accounts.
In one instance, he transferred £90,000 into a new bank account after being told to close his original one by NatWest.
He claimed to be self-employed, manufacturing marine chains and sash window weights – despite living in a town house, where this would have been impossible.
“Poor records, but damning evidence“
The defence argued that Hunt Bros’ own poor record-keeping made it impossible to prove that money had gone missing.
Forensic accountant Elizabeth Scott, giving evidence for the defence, noted missing or inaccurate financial documents.
“I can’t say that the discrepancies were down to cash misappropriation,” she said.
But Crown Advocate Preston pointed to the sudden rise in Hunt Bros’ profits after Mitton was suspended – and the lavish lifestyle he funded without any clear alternative source of income – as damning evidence.
Detective Constable Shaun Smith, who led the investigation, said after the verdict: “Mr Mitton was a trusted employee at Hunt Bros Limited, a family-run business that placed immense faith in its staff.
“The betrayal of this trust by Mr Mitton, who exploited his position for personal gain, was deeply troubling for the family.”
Mitton is now scheduled to be sentenced on 24 June.
Commissioner Alan Oldland was presiding.
