A payroll manager entrusted with financial responsibilities at a healthcare firm in south Wales has been jailed after he secretly diverted thousands of pounds earmarked for staff wages into his own bank accounts. Connor Hickman, 24, orchestrated a complex fraud at Nos Da Healthcare, a company based in Bargoed, by altering payment details and fabricating documentation to cover his tracks.
Hickman’s illicit activities spanned several months, from October 2022 through June 2023, during which he methodically adjusted the payroll records of agency employees, substituting their legitimate banking details with his own. As a result, funds intended for staff salaries were redirected to Hickman in a series of more than one hundred transactions. By the time the deceit was uncovered, Hickman had siphoned a total of £21,915 from the company.
The case was heard at Newport Crown Court this week, where the full extent of the breach of trust became apparent. Prosecutors detailed how the defendant exploited his privileged access as payroll manager to falsify payslips and generate fake invoices. These documents served to disguise the theft and delay detection for months.
The fraud only came to light when a payroll discrepancy arose. An external agency worker was asked to return wages they had supposedly received in error—a payment they insisted had not appeared in their account. Further investigation traced this missing payment to an account controlled by Hickman, leading to the unraveling of the wider deception.
During sentencing, the court heard a victim impact statement from Tristan Rich, the director of Nos Da Healthcare. Mr Rich revealed the significant financial damage inflicted by the theft. “As a result of the losses, we had to let three valued staff members go,” he reported. He added that the blow to the firm’s cashflow and credit rating put the entire business—operating for sixteen years—at risk of closure. Mr Rich stated the company had been unable to recover any of the stolen funds.
Hickman, whose previous record was clean, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position. In his defence, the court was told that Hickman’s actions were fuelled by debilitating addictions to cocaine and gambling, with his weekly outlays reportedly reaching £1,000 on drugs and £500 gambling during the period of the offences. His lawyer, Alice Sykes, said that he had since ceased both habits and had managed to secure alternative employment with the support of family.
Presiding over the case, Judge Carl Harrison was unequivocal in his condemnation of the crime, remarking: “You abused a position of trust and responsibility, all for the sake of gambling and drugs.” Judge Harrison sentenced Hickman to a prison term of two years and four months, underlining the serious breach of trust and the devastating consequences for the company and its staff.
The story highlights the vulnerabilities businesses face when individuals entrusted with sensitive financial duties abuse that trust for personal gain. It also draws attention to the ripple effect such crimes can have, beyond monetary loss, affecting both livelihoods and the stability of long-standing local enterprises.
Nos Da Healthcare continues to deal with the repercussions of the incident, working to rebuild trust and financial stability. The case serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of stringent internal controls and regular audits within payroll processes to prevent similar abuses.
Legal experts commenting on the outcome noted that while personal circumstances such as addiction may offer context, they rarely mitigate the sentence for fraud-related cases where a clear abuse of position is involved. The court’s decision reflects wider legal and societal expectations around financial accountability and the safeguarding of employees’ earnings.