Rogue IT manager jailed for two years after £123k procurement scam

A rogue IT procurement manager has been jailed for two years after he colluded with two IT suppliers to defraud grocer Nisa Today out of £123,000.

According to Computer Weekly's sister title Microscope, IT procurement manager Trevor Guerin, bagged sweeteners of laptops, netbooks, wine and chocolates on top of £50,000 in cash.

Grimsby Crown Court heard the scam worked through fake and inflated invoices created by Guerin, and the employees, named as Aatish Dudani of Bytes and Barry Hesk of Nettitude, paid sums of money into two holding companies set up by Guerin.

Prosecuting, Gordon Stables told the court that Dudani paid Guerin £16,000 and Hesk £34,000, while Nisa unwittingly paid out thousands of pounds for kit that never materialised, according to local news sources.

Speaking in court, Dudani's defence QC Pavlos Panayi blamed a high-pressure bonus culture and Guerin's corrupting influence for leading a "model employee" astray.

Guerin was jailed for two years, while Hesk received a 12-month suspended sentence and a community service order, and Dudani a 12-month community order.

"People who deal with IT procurement are relied upon because most people do not know what software is required. They need you to tell them what they need and what it costs," said judge Simon Jack.