A heartbroken widow has vowed to bounce back after her thieving partner drained their business of cash as she cared for her dying husband.
Karen Pritchard, 55, from Southport, Merseyside, thought the jeweller’s shop she ran with her trusted pal, Carl Gilroy, was in good hands when she took time out to look after husband, Dave, as he lost his battle with brain cancer.
But instead, ruthless Gilroy pocketed the takings as well as VAT and tax money from Collingwood Gold Jewellery, blowing it all on a Jaguar vehicle and five-star hotel stays.
Police were called in after the theft was uncovered in March 2018 where it was found that tens of thousands of pounds had been funnelled into bogus bank accounts set by Gilroy.
Liquidators discovered £189,000 had been embezzled over the period of 30 months prior to his arrest. Of that amount, Gilroy admitted taking £75,000 and was sentenced to two years in jail, which was suspended for two years.
Due to the fact he had spent most of the money on his lavish lifestyle, he could only be asked to repay £66,000.
Karen Pritchard, 55, from Southport, Merseyside, was heartbroken to find her business partner Carl Gilroy had stolen from their budsiness while she had taken time off to care for her dying husband
Thieving Carl Gilroy (pictured) embezzled £189,000 from the shop he co-directed with Karen. This was take down to £75 000 by the CPS after taking into account what he would and could have earned, the money he originally invested, and other expenses
Mother-of-one Karen says: ‘It’s despicable that Carl stole from me and lied to me as my husband was dying.
‘I’d known him for 15 years and I trusted him completely. We had been to Christmas parties together and I considered him a friend.
‘The level of deception, at a time in my life when I needed help and support, is disgusting.
‘When the business began to struggle, my elderly father offered money to keep it afloat. I even put in £10,000 which my late husband had left to me.
Karen took time away from the shop in order to take care of her now late husband Dave, who was battling a form of brain cancer
Pictured: The Collingwood Gold jeweller shop that Karen and Carl used to gown together before the theft was uncovered
‘It beggars belief that Carl just siphoned that money straight out again.
‘Carl always had the best of everything; he drove a Jag, he stayed in 5-star hotels, he bought expensive clothes. I just assumed he was well off. Now I know where his wealth really came from.’
Karen and Carl met through their work at Collingwood Gold Jewellery in Southport. When the owner retired in 2015, they were both appointed directors of the business.
Karen worked front of house and Carl was in charge of accounts.
Karen says: ‘We seemed like a good team, so we bought the business together. It was a really exciting time.
‘Carl was quiet and unassuming and seemed absolutely genuine. I trusted him completely.’
Karen was juggling her career with looking after her ex-husband, Dave, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
Not only were Carl and Karen business partner, they also shared a 15 years-strong friendship, she said (pictured on a night out)
Karen said she thought Girlroy and her made a good team and never thought he would steal from her
Pictured: Dave, Karen and their son before Dave’s death in 2016. Karen realised the business was struggling when she went back to work
She says: ‘Dave and I divorced in 2004 but we got back together in 2012. He began suffering with headaches soon after and he was diagnosed with brain cancer. It was devastating, and I wanted to look after him. He moved in with me and I made him as comfortable as I could.
‘I believe it was meant to be for us to get back together so that I could be with him during his final days.
‘Carl knew all about Dave’s illness and he knew I was having a tough time. I took time off work to look after Dave and I thought that Carl was being supportive.
‘By early 2016, Dave was in a wheelchair and was gradually losing all movement. I needed to be at home with him.
‘To think that Carl chose this time to steal money out of our business infuriates me.
‘I didn’t check the bank statements, but I didn’t think I had to. I had so much on my mind, looking after Dave. I relied on Carl and trusted him.’
Dave died in September 2016, aged 55.
Karen returned to work full time in October 2016 and realised the business was struggling.
Karen says: ‘Carl fobbed me off, saying we’d had big VAT and wage bills and he explained it all away. I didn’t for a minute think he could be robbing from me.
Due to Carl’s dodgy financial scheme, Karen had to put £10,000 Dave had left her in her business
‘I stopped taking wages from the shop. We needed every penny to keep it afloat. My dad even offered to put £30 000 into the business – in fact, Carl took the whole amount straight out again.
‘Later, I put £10 000 of my savings in, which had been left to me by Dave. Again, that vanished.
‘It was astounding.
‘Carl had a very extravagant lifestyle; he drove a jag, he stayed in posh hotels and he had lavish holidays. He always had the best. I presumed he had lots of money himself – not that he was taking money from our business.’
In March 2018, matters came to a head with creditors complaining that they had not been paid.
Karen began her own investigations and was horrified to discover that huge sums had been drained from the business.
She says: ‘For 48 hours, I didn’t sleep, and I pored over our accounts. The money was being funnelled into three bank accounts – all tracing back to Carl.
Karen eventually discovered that huge sums of money had been taken from the business’s accounts
The mother-of-one said she was ‘absolutely devastated’ after Carl left her with nothing following the death of Dave
‘There was just £4000 left in our account and before my eyes, online, he took that out too and left me with nothing.
‘I was absolutely devastated.’
Karen confronted Gilroy who at first denied the offences, before admitting he had taken the money, ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul.’
She says: ‘I made him sign his shares over to me and give me his bank cards. The three accounts he had been using were empty. He paid me back a pittance.
‘I had people on the phone looking for him, saying he owed them money. When I later checked with Companies House, he’d had 22 different businesses. It was such a mess.
‘I managed to pay back all our creditors and I have kept the shop open, under my name. It was a really stressful, frightening time for me, and Carl never as much as sent me an apology.
‘He showed no remorse at all.’
Gilroy appeared at Liverpool Crown Court last August and admitted stealing £75,000 from the Southport jewellery shop he ran while his business partner cared for her dying partner.
The jeweller shop after a refurbishment. Karen said that while Carl still had not repaid what he owed her, she would not let it crush her spirits
Inside the shop. Carl admitted to stealing £75,000, and told Karen he was ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’
Karen and Dave before his death. Gilroy funnelled money out of the Jeweller’s shop for three years before he was eventually caught
Gilroy, 57, funnelled money out of Collingwood Gold Jewellery over three years from 2015 to 2018 through dodgy transactions.
He pleaded guilty and was spared immediate jail when he was given a suspended two-year sentence.
In January this year, a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing took place and Gilroy was ordered to pay back £66,000 or face three years’ imprisonment.
The £66,000 figure was found in equity of Carl’s house, which is all that could reasonably expected to be repaid, because the thief had spent a lot of the money already.
Karen is looking to rebuild her life. Here she is pictured on holiday in Venice with her new husband Kevin
Kevin and Karen looking sharp on a night out. Gilroy was sentenced to two years in jail. He pleaded guilty and was spared immediate jail when he was given a suspended two-year sentence
And in a further punishment published this month, he was given a 12-year disqualification from being a director of any business.
The ruling in that case stated that he ‘misappropriated funds totalling £85,003.08 from the company.’
The different figures reflect the different organisations involved and their separate calculations.
Karen is working hard to build the business back up under her name, and has recently married a childhood pal, Kevin Pritchard, who she met at a school reunion.
She says: ‘I’ve had to start from scratch again. He hasn’t paid anything back yet. But I won’t let a weasel like Carl Gilroy bring me down.’