A successful businessman had to sell his company after a friend of 35 years who he had “helped out the goodness of his heart” stole thousands of pounds.
Geoffrey Unsworth was described as a man with a “good working history who enjoyed work”. But when his business was failing, “good friend” Ian Slater, who owned successful company Palletland, afforded Unsworth the chance to come and work collaboratively with him.
Mr Slater’s Palletland, which specialised in the supply and manufacturing of pallets on an industrial scale, would sell pallets to Unsworth, who in turn would sell them on for a profit. Unsworth, 61, would also collect second-hand pallets he found and sell them on to Mr Slater.
However, Liverpool Crown Court was informed today, Thursday, April 25, by prosecutor Derek Jones, that Mr. Slater started to realise the company wasn’t performing as effectively as it should have. Mr. Jones claimed that Mr. Slater first had trouble figuring out where the money had gone missing because the business was primarily cash-in-hand.
Nevertheless, when he contacted Unsworth, of Cleveland Street, St Helens, regarding the missing monies, the defendant confessed right away. According to Mr. Jones, the defendant acknowledged using the same invoice more than once and removing pallets without paying for them. According to testimony given in court, Unsworth would sell the pallets he had taken, but he would give them back to Palletland if there were any leftovers.
Mr. Jones stated: “Mr Slater would buy back his own pallets, with the defendant pretending he had collected them.” On December 1, 2022, Unsworth told authorities he was “a good friend who had been helping him” during an interview.
He indicated that he had acted alone and that he was aware that what he had done had wounded Mr. Slater. However, the prosecution claimed that because the crime made Mr. Slater mistrust other members of his employment team, it constituted a major breach of trust.
According to the prosecution, the offence occurred between March and June 2022, spanning approximately 12 weeks. However, because of the cash-in-hand nature of the firm, investigators had trouble pinpointing Unsworth’s exact amount.
Mr. Slater, who sold Palletland after the ordeal because of the stress, had Mr. Jones read a victim impact statement to the court on his behalf. “The statement refers to the fact that the defendant was a friend who he had been helping,” Mr. Jones stated. It has deeply wounded him.
“The idea of other individuals stealing forced him to sell the company. Since then, he has been depressed. The most of the stress in his marriage has come from the fact that the defendant was a friend, which made matters worse. He was upset about selling the company because it was his baby.” The defendant, who had been cautioned for receiving stolen items in 1999 and had two prior past convictions, sat
In mitigation, Paul Wood, the defence attorney, informed the court that although his client struggles with his own health issues—including a diagnosis of chronic obstructive lung disease in 2022—he also assists in caring for his wife and mother-in-law. According to what the court heard, he raised his grandson “like a son” after adopting him.
While acknowledging that his client’s actions had clearly caused mental pain, Mr. Wood said that the harm had been mitigated by returning the whole amount of money to Mr. Slater. Upon being questioned by Her Honour Judge Katherine Pierpoint, who stated that the defendant only returned the money after being apprehended, Mr. Wood remarked, “It would be beneficial to any company’s cash flow if the money was returned.”
Mr. Wood responded to a question about the defendant’s motivations for stealing the money, saying that he did it because he was under financial strain and saw an easy opportunity. The court heard that the defendant had volunteered with the Honey Rose Foundation to give back to society. He will always be sorry for what he did to his friends and family. The effect on the people he loves has made him extremely anxious about custody.”
“You took advantage of Mr. Slater, someone who had helped you out of the goodness of his heart,” Judge Pierpoint remarked to Unsworth, who was wearing a fine suit, glasses, and short hair throughout the sentencing. “It is sad to see a man like you before the courts,” she continued.
