A Dartford man has been sentenced to three years in jail after defrauding a company of nearly £147,000 over seven years.

Gerald David, 42, of Wilmington House, Wilmington, appeared before Maidstone Crown Court on August 2 and was sentenced after admitting the offence at an earlier court appearance.

A judge heard how on March 30, a Dartford-based engineering company reported to police that they suspected an employee of committing fraud.

David had been working for the company for 10 years and was promoted to the position of management accountant in 2005.

He was responsible for expenses, petty cash and foreign currency exchange.

Between 2005 and 2012 David defrauded the company of £146,822.

Officers quickly established that David had written off personal expenditure through various departments.

He had taken money from the petty cash float and had also stolen money from the foreign exchange float in order to fund personal holidays.

Detective Constable Angela Costin said: “I'm pleased the sentence imposed by the court has reflected the seriousness of this crime.

“David was in a position of trust which he had been breaching for seven of his ten years with this company.

"He was treated incredibly well by his employers whom in return, he lied and stole from.”