BA computer expert swindles £250,000

A British Airways computer expert conned the airline out of £250,000 over three years by transferring income from in-flight purchases into accounts held by himself and his wife. The fiddle only came to light when a passenger noticed he had been billed twice for the same item. A routine check unearthed the scam, but had not stopped Nicholas Mann and his wife Andrea from enjoying a high-rolling lifestyle. The couple had an off-road vehicle and a sports car, flew abroad regularly and ate at swanky restaurants. However, all good things must come to an end. And Judge John Crocker doled out 18 months and nine months respectively to Mann and his wife for bad behaviour. Mann deserves special mention however for his answer to a Daily Mail reporter about why he had stolen so much: "Good question! I guess the lure of something I could do. I probably thought I could get away with it. The lifestyle was a significant factor." ®