A SALISBURY man has been sentenced to 42 months imprisonment after he was found guilty of fraud.

David Westwell, aged 44, of Pembroke Road, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.

Westwell was employed as a bookkeeper at MNP Media in Salisbury between 2007 and 2013, when he was sacked.

His responsibilities included ensuring the staff payroll was completed and day-to-day management of the finances.

However, during a 28-month period, Westwell stole £194,000 from the company by disguising payments within the accounts and paying them into his own.

Detective Constable Melissa Carr, of Melksham CID, said: “Westwell abused his position of trust as a bookkeeper by defrauding his employer out of almost £200,000.

“He then used this money to enjoy a lavish lifestyle – he enjoyed many holidays, spent money on expensive clothes and bought a Mercedes Benz.

“His actions were completely unacceptable – he was trusted to carry out his responsibilities and he failed to do so.

“I am pleased with the sentence handed out by the judge - it shows that Wiltshire Police take all reports of fraud extremely seriously and will carry out a thorough investigation into all reports we receive.”