A council supervisor who stole almost £100,000 of equipment to bankroll his cocaine addiction has been ordered to pay back his ill-gotten gains.
Karl Ellison worked for Newcastle City Council for more than 25 years and was a highly trusted store warehouse boss with access to the local authority's funds.
As ChronicleLive reported previously, in a shocking abuse of his position, he ordered high value items from suppliers, collected them himself then sold them on and pocketed the proceeds.
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Last September, Ellison, 53, of Ilfracombe Gardens, Whitley Bay, was locked up for 27 months at Newcastle Crown Court for fraud between January 2020 and March this year.
Now he has been ordered to pay back the money he fraudulently obtained after prosecutors pursued him under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
In the latest hearing, at which he was not present, it was revealed he benefited to the tune of £98,940. He must pay back the full amount as his available assets are £117,163.
The court heard the money is already in the possession of prosecutors.
At the sentencing hearing last year, the court heard his role involved him ordering materials for internal departments, including protective equipment such as hard hats and high visibility jackets.
He would order them from unsuspecting suppliers then make excuses to change the invoices and go to collect items himself.
Concerns were first raised by a highways fleet manager in February that Ellison might be stealing nail guns and when an accountant looked into it, suspicions were raised about the amount of goods he had ordered.
When called in by bosses, he said he would hand his notice in and added he "was an idiot and had nothing further to say".
After he handed his notice in, a full audit was carried out, which revealed the extent of what he had been up to.
One of the main suppliers said he had started asking for various power tools about a year earlier, which he would collect himself.
Judge Christopher Prince told him: "Your offending demonstrated considerable determination, was a great breach of trust and occurred over a significant period of time.
"The impact has been on the taxpayer.
"Councils desperately require the funds they have to put towards personal protective equipment and all the other uses the council can usefully use money for and it's a very significant amount of money you stole from Newcastle City Council.
"This was a well conceived and determined plan executed by you."
Matthew Purves, defending, said he was buying and selling the items "almost to order".
"This was a consequence of his significant drug misuse and addiction," he told the court.
"He had spent a little less than 30 years working for the council and appeared to be a hard-working, trustworthy and loyal employee but along the way of his life he suffered a number of hardships and losses."
Mr Purves said Ellison, who fell into depression and anxiety after losing his parents, is remorseful and has taken steps to address his addiction.
His cocaine use has led to him injuring his nose and he needs hospital treatment.
He sold the goods for much less than their value and is £20,000 in debt.
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