North Yorkshire Police
Jason Lowe was sentenced to 33 months in prison, after pleading guilty to fraud by abuse of position of trust
A web developer has been jailed for fraud after siphoning more than £500,000 from the company he worked for to fuel his gambling addiction.
Jason Lowe, 40, was employed at a window manufacturing firm in Lancashire, where he was responsible for online marketing.
Bradford Crown Court heard Lowe, of Brougham Street, Skipton, had used his position to funnel the cash from the company, by converting credit card transactions into cryptocurrency and spending it on gambling sites.
On Friday, he was sentenced to 33 months in prison, with a further hearing scheduled aimed at recovering the stolen assets.
The company, where Lowe had been employed since 2016, was structured as an employee-owned trust, which meant staff owned shares in the business and benefitted from profit rewards.
His crimes came to light when the company’s finance department flagged an unusually large amount of payments to two businesses named “Meteorbrand” and “PPC Guru”.
A police investigation later linked the companies to Lowe and in addition to the stolen funds, the company incurred nearly £80,000 in costs while investigating the fraud.
A representative of the company described in their impact statement how Lowe’s actions had eroded internal trust and caused severe stress among staff.
‘Never a victimless crime’
The volume of money flowing through Lowe’s personal bank accounts raised red flags with his bank, particularly large sums received via PayPal.
When questioned, Lowe claimed the money was from the sale of his business, despite that transaction having occurred in 2021.
He eventually pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position of trust, committed between March 2023 and February 2024.
Following sentencing, Det Con Neil Brodhurst, said: “We are pleased with the custodial sentence handed down to Lowe, who shamelessly abused his position of trust to fund a gambling habit.
“Even though the stolen funds were converted into cryptocurrency, we were able to trace the transactions and prove how he benefited.
“Fraud is never a victimless crime, and this case highlights the wider ripple effect of Lowe’s actions – undermining morale, trust, and financial stability across the workforce.”