Fraudster who scammed £3.35m out of celebrities including Rita Ora jailed for ...

Andrew Munday, 37, scammed £3.35m out of celebrities including Rita Ora and rugby ace Matt Dawson

Andrew Munday, 37, scammed £3.35m out of celebrities including Rita Ora and rugby ace Matt Dawson

A crooked accountant who stole £3.5m from celebrities including Rita Ora and rugby star Matt Dawson and then spent it on a lavish lifestyle, including buying three homes and an executive box at Tottenham Hotspur football club, has been jailed for nearly six years.

'Charming fraudster' Andrew Munday, 37, set up a 'sophisticated' scam while working at an accountancy firm after gaining access to clients' bank accounts.

Northampton Crown Court heard the fraud took place while Munday worked at now-defunct Blue Cube Business Ltd between 2009 and up until his arrest in 2016.

During the seven-year period Munday, of Northampton, stole £2.39 million from Ora Multi-Services, owned by X-Factor judge and pop star Rita Ora.

Munday blew £1.8m of the cash on gambling in casinos and online.

He splashed out on luxury items such as signed Star Wars memorabilia and expensive designer goods such as Armani and Tag Heuer watches.

He also swindled money from ex-England rugby player and actor Martin Bayfield, who starred in the Harry Potter films, and singer-songwriter VV Brown. 

Accountant Andrew Munday, conned £3.5m from celebrities including Rita Ora and rugby star Matt Dawson and then spent it on a lavish lifestyle, including buying three homes and an executive box at Tottenham Hotspur.  Pictured, one of the properties bought by Andrew Munday in Northampton

Accountant Andrew Munday, conned £3.5m from celebrities including Rita Ora and rugby star Matt Dawson and then spent it on a lavish lifestyle, including buying three homes and an executive box at Tottenham Hotspur.  Pictured, one of the properties bought by Andrew Munday in Northampton

Munday  dipped into the coffers of Ora Multi-Services, owned by Rita Ora, and pocketed a total of £2.39 million of the singer's cash

Munday  dipped into the coffers of Ora Multi-Services, owned by Rita Ora, and pocketed a total of £2.39 million of the singer's cash

Munday, 37, set up a 'sophisticated' scam while working at an accountancy firm after gaining access to clients' bank accounts. One of the homes in Northhampton he bought is pictured

Munday, 37, set up a 'sophisticated' scam while working at an accountancy firm after gaining access to clients' bank accounts. One of the homes in Northhampton he bought is pictured

He also targeted Decidedly Dawson Ltd, owned by Question of Sport captain Matt Dawson, and siphoned a total of £1.08 million. 

Munday had been a 'trusted' employee of the firm since he began working there in 2000, but had been 'living a lie'.

Simon Davis, prosecuting, said: 'The defendant was trusted by all of his clients until January, 2016.

'He was considered to be hard working and personable but he had been living a lie.

'Between March 2009 and April 2016, the defendant rifled the bank accounts of those whose money he had been entrusted to manage, totalling £3.35million.

'The defendant spent the money on a lavish lifestyle and real estate and gambled significant amounts.'

Hugo Boss watch belonging to Andrew Munday

An Armani watch belonging to Munday

Munday blew the cash on a host of luxurious items including a Hugo Boss watch (left) and an Armani watch (right)

He also defrauded £53,000 from Six Ten Media Ltd, owned by Martin Bayfield, by saying the company needed to make a payment to HMRC but instead gave them the bank details of his personal bank account.

This caused 'embarrassment' for Bayfield as HMRC later chased him for unpaid tax, despite him thinking he had paid it.

He took £438,000 from VV Brown's personal bank account and made payments from her account to Spurs and settled invoices for Blue Cube clients.

Muday also frittered away cash on sports memorabilia such as Paul Gascoigne England shirts.

The court also heard he used her account as a 'vehicle' to move around money from other clients and Ms Brown no longer works in the music industry as a result of the theft.

He gambled away much of the funds online and in casinos- blowing a staggering £965,000 on his Betfair account and another £787,000 at William Hill.

He also used the money to buy houses beyond his means including properties in leafy Abington and Collingtree, Northants.

The court heard his colleagues at the time were concerned about how he could afford the properties on his £33,000-a-year salary at Blue Cube.

Police launched an investigation and found Munday had kept of money going in and out of his account, including the cash he was spending on gambling.

Officers discovered he had used internet banking credentials to transfer money between accounts and used up to 14 bank accounts in his 'sustained and lengthy' fraud.

David Foster, director of Blue Cube, became suspicious when he saw an email from Munday to Betfair in which he claimed he had a self employed income of £385,000 on top of his salary.

A 1990 signed Paul Gascoigne England shirt belonging to Andrew Munday

A 1990 signed Paul Gascoigne

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