A FORMER Ladbrokes employee who stole more than £2.5 million from the betting company was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to theft.

Aren De Vos, 43, from Howards Wood Drive, in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, worked at Ladbrokes head office, in Rayners Lane, Harrow, where he was employed as a financial consultant.

He was arrested by police at his home on November 11 last year, two days after Ladbrokes reported the theft.

The police investigation revealed that between 2000 and 2010 De Vos stole money by putting through a total of 64 electronic cheque requisitions into a fake company he set up called Impact Sports Ltd.

The total amount he stole was £2,546,223.16.

The Crown Prosecution Service authorised ten charges for Theft Employee and one charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) of procuring criminal property or money laundering.

De Vos appeared at Harrow Crown Court last Thursday and pleaded guilty to ten counts of employee theft and not guilty to the POCA charge.

Judge Mole passed a sentence of five years taking into consideration De Vos’s guilty plea and his previous good character.

Acting detective sergeant Andy Simpson, from Harrow CID, said: “This investigation was conducted with the assistance of Ladbrokes.

“Research over the previous ten years revealed that De Vos had successfully stolen money totalling over £2.5 million which enabled him to live a lavish lifestyle.

“This was a serious crime conducted in a calculating way and the judge indicated that the sentence of five years would have been longer if De Vos had not been of previous good character.“