Hookers 'R' Us
Discussion
What a prize mug! 
Telegraph said:
On the face of it Paul Hopes, 58, was the model of middle England respectability. He had a stable job, a wife and two children, and a Mondeo on the drive of his modest Reading home.
For 23 years he had toiled at the American firm’s UK head office in Maidenhead, grafting his way up to be the head of the purchase ledger on a £56,000 salary.
But the balding and graying ‘Paul from finance’, as he was known, was concealing a secret life indulging in drugs, loose women and fast cars.
By creating a series of false invoices, he siphoned off six figure sums to spend on what prosecutor Stephen Heptonstall described as a “lavish lifestyle”.
While he was telling his wife Gill, 62, that he was attending board meetings of the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Football Association, on Wednesdays or Fridays he was actually meeting call girls. While away on “business” he was entertaining them at £500-a-night hotels.
Becoming “infatuated” with two of the five prostitutes, according to a source close to the investigation, he bought one a Bentley, paid off the other’s mortgage and gave them all regular cash hand-outs.
Speaking before he was sentenced at Reading Crown Court, Mr Heptonstall said of the multi-million pound theft: “All this money was being used to fund the lavish lifestyle, although it was a split lifestyle. Nothing changed at home. He continued to live the same modest existence with his wife.”
He continued: “It was not a crime of passion; it was a crime of lust.”
One of the prostitutes said he also had a cocaine habit, spending £700 to £800 on the drug at every meeting.
He bought the £132,000 Bentley for his favourite, Dawn Dunbar, whom he handed £1.5 million in total, after she suggested: “Every woman loves a Bentley”.
He spent more than £200,000 alone on a string of cars for the women, also buying a Land Cruiser, Lexus and BMW.
But his largesse proved to be his undoing.
Although Toys ‘R’ Us neglected to notice the holes in its accounts, a neighbour of Ms Dunbar’s became suspicious of her Bentley and new lifestyle.
Police found a cheque for £10,000 from Hopes at her home and followed the trial back from there.
He was arrested last December and sacked days later.
However, Hopes, who had been married to wife Gill for almost 40 years, maintained his innocence to her, their two children – Mark, 29, and Carrie, 27 – and the police.
But as his October 22 court hearing approached his resolve weakened, and he bolted to take refuge in a hotel, where police found him.
He subsequently admitted 14 charges of theft and four charges of money laundering, taking between £101,000 and £350,000.
Despite the scale of his plundering he never paid off his own mortgage on his chalet-style house in Woodley, near Reading.
Nigel Daly, defending described Hopes as “a Walter Mitty character” who had successfully managed to live out his dreams of being a “rich businessman”.
He said: “He wanted to be seen as not just rich, but a bit of a philanthropist”.
Judge Stephen John questioned how such a "simple fraud" could have taken place at a large firm like Toys 'R' Us.
Sentencing Hopes to seven years, he said: "I cannot judge if, as you say, you felt sorry for these women, but you chose to provide them with an absurdly luxurious lifestyle in order to preserve your sexual relationship with them.
“You knew that these were enormous amounts spent on high living.”
He also said Hopes “accepted little responsibility” for his behaviour and even blamed his wife for it, because their marriage was unhappy.
“That is not impressive,” the judge concluded.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6840453/Toys-R-Us-manager-stole-3.7m-to-fund-drugs-and-prostitutes-lifestyle.htmlFor 23 years he had toiled at the American firm’s UK head office in Maidenhead, grafting his way up to be the head of the purchase ledger on a £56,000 salary.
But the balding and graying ‘Paul from finance’, as he was known, was concealing a secret life indulging in drugs, loose women and fast cars.
By creating a series of false invoices, he siphoned off six figure sums to spend on what prosecutor Stephen Heptonstall described as a “lavish lifestyle”.
While he was telling his wife Gill, 62, that he was attending board meetings of the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Football Association, on Wednesdays or Fridays he was actually meeting call girls. While away on “business” he was entertaining them at £500-a-night hotels.
Becoming “infatuated” with two of the five prostitutes, according to a source close to the investigation, he bought one a Bentley, paid off the other’s mortgage and gave them all regular cash hand-outs.
Speaking before he was sentenced at Reading Crown Court, Mr Heptonstall said of the multi-million pound theft: “All this money was being used to fund the lavish lifestyle, although it was a split lifestyle. Nothing changed at home. He continued to live the same modest existence with his wife.”
He continued: “It was not a crime of passion; it was a crime of lust.”
One of the prostitutes said he also had a cocaine habit, spending £700 to £800 on the drug at every meeting.
He bought the £132,000 Bentley for his favourite, Dawn Dunbar, whom he handed £1.5 million in total, after she suggested: “Every woman loves a Bentley”.
He spent more than £200,000 alone on a string of cars for the women, also buying a Land Cruiser, Lexus and BMW.
But his largesse proved to be his undoing.
Although Toys ‘R’ Us neglected to notice the holes in its accounts, a neighbour of Ms Dunbar’s became suspicious of her Bentley and new lifestyle.
Police found a cheque for £10,000 from Hopes at her home and followed the trial back from there.
He was arrested last December and sacked days later.
However, Hopes, who had been married to wife Gill for almost 40 years, maintained his innocence to her, their two children – Mark, 29, and Carrie, 27 – and the police.
But as his October 22 court hearing approached his resolve weakened, and he bolted to take refuge in a hotel, where police found him.
He subsequently admitted 14 charges of theft and four charges of money laundering, taking between £101,000 and £350,000.
Despite the scale of his plundering he never paid off his own mortgage on his chalet-style house in Woodley, near Reading.
Nigel Daly, defending described Hopes as “a Walter Mitty character” who had successfully managed to live out his dreams of being a “rich businessman”.
He said: “He wanted to be seen as not just rich, but a bit of a philanthropist”.
Judge Stephen John questioned how such a "simple fraud" could have taken place at a large firm like Toys 'R' Us.
Sentencing Hopes to seven years, he said: "I cannot judge if, as you say, you felt sorry for these women, but you chose to provide them with an absurdly luxurious lifestyle in order to preserve your sexual relationship with them.
“You knew that these were enormous amounts spent on high living.”
He also said Hopes “accepted little responsibility” for his behaviour and even blamed his wife for it, because their marriage was unhappy.
“That is not impressive,” the judge concluded.
Neil H said:
What a prize mug!
Nice to see the British population go snooping if they see a decent car on your drive.Telegraph said:
Although Toys ‘R’ Us neglected to notice the holes in its accounts, a neighbour of Ms Dunbar’s became suspicious of her Bentley and new lifestyle.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6840453/Toys-R-Us-manager-stole-3.7m-to-fund-drugs-and-prostitutes-lifestyle.html
Fittster said:
Nice to see the British population go snooping if they see a decent car on your drive.
Just about to post something similar myself.Neighbours get jealous because hooker has a Bentley on her drive; surely that's not just cause (on it's own) for police to get involved?
Can you imagine the conversation;
"Hi, yes, my neighbours got a Bentley".
"and?"
"well she wouldn't normally have one".
"Thanks, we'll go and check it out immediately"
Fittster said:
Neil H said:
What a prize mug!
Nice to see the British population go snooping if they see a decent car on your drive.Telegraph said:
Although Toys ‘R’ Us neglected to notice the holes in its accounts, a neighbour of Ms Dunbar’s became suspicious of her Bentley and new lifestyle.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6840453/Toys-R-Us-manager-stole-3.7m-to-fund-drugs-and-prostitutes-lifestyle.html"She has a nice car, best call the police"
WorAl said:
Fittster said:
Neil H said:
What a prize mug!
Nice to see the British population go snooping if they see a decent car on your drive.Telegraph said:
Although Toys ‘R’ Us neglected to notice the holes in its accounts, a neighbour of Ms Dunbar’s became suspicious of her Bentley and new lifestyle.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6840453/Toys-R-Us-manager-stole-3.7m-to-fund-drugs-and-prostitutes-lifestyle.html"She has a nice car, best call the police"
I wonder how many other people living in regular residential areas, wouldn't raise an eyebrow when someone who previously didn't have a lavish lifestyle, all of a sudden has a spanking £132,000 Bentley. They don't have a good job, haven't won the lottery, perhaps something illegal is going on?
OH MY GOD! What are the chances? Something illegal was going on....
Can't really say that you found the money down the back of the sofa, can you?
Besides, as a prostitute she was probably known to the Police anyway.
Neil H said:
You have to admit it's a tad suspicious if someone who, I'm guessing, doesn't live in an affluent area and apparently has no job, suddenly buys a brand new Bentley.
He was a middle manager for a large retail chain, he would have had a better than average income. Plus at 58 he could have saved for a good few years to buy his dream car or might have been received an inheritence. 
Fittster said:
Neil H said:
You have to admit it's a tad suspicious if someone who, I'm guessing, doesn't live in an affluent area and apparently has no job, suddenly buys a brand new Bentley.
He was a middle manager for a large retail chain, he would have had a better than average income. Plus at 58 he could have saved for a good few years to buy his dream car or might have been received an inheritence. 
e and not himself.Fittster said:
Neil H said:
You have to admit it's a tad suspicious if someone who, I'm guessing, doesn't live in an affluent area and apparently has no job, suddenly buys a brand new Bentley.
He was a middle manager for a large retail chain, he would have had a better than average income. Plus at 58 he could have saved for a good few years to buy his dream car or might have been received an inheritence. Neil H said:
Fittster said:
Neil H said:
You have to admit it's a tad suspicious if someone who, I'm guessing, doesn't live in an affluent area and apparently has no job, suddenly buys a brand new Bentley.
He was a middle manager for a large retail chain, he would have had a better than average income. Plus at 58 he could have saved for a good few years to buy his dream car or might have been received an inheritence. 
but still don't think the neighbour was acting with the best intention for wider society as their primary motivation.
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