Man, 49, convicted of a series of fraud and theft charges after falsely representing to be a qualified accountant

On Tuesday 10th May 2016, at Aylesbury Crown Court, a 49 year old man was convicted of a series of fraud and theft charges after falsely representing that he was a qualified accountant.

Harvey Pearce, aged 49, of Willow End, Didcot was convicted of five counts of fraud by abuse of position, two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft by employee.

In 2010, Pearce falsely represented that he was a qualified accountant in order to obtain a job as a finance manager at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield.

He was released from his employment by the National Film and Television School in September 2013 after concerns were raised about his work. The school then conducted an internal investigation which identified a number of fraudulent transactions.

Pearce had fraudulently paid himself expenses totalling almost £15k, had used his school credit card to pay for personal items and union membership, had purchased two iPads on the school account, had overpaid himself more than £4k and had not deducted pension contributions from his salary.

In 2014 Pearce applied for a job as finance manager at Diamond Light Source in Didcot. He again falsely represented that he was a qualified accountant, and worked at the company from June 2014 until the time of his arrest in September 2014.

Pearce pleaded guilty to earning almost £155k after obtaining both jobs by false representation and to obtaining more than £24k from the National Film and Television School by fraud and theft.

The conviction follows an investigation by Thames Valley Police.

Investigating officer, Det Con Katie Taylor of the Economic Crime Unit said: ‘This investigation uncovered deceit and fraud against two local employers.

Harvey Pearce lied to obtain positions with them. He then betrayed the trust placed in him and abused his position to benefit himself.

This has been a long and complex investigation and I trust that the conviction not only reassures our communities but also sends a message out that crime will not pay in the Thames Valley.‘

Pearce is set to be sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on Tuesday 7th June 2016.