3:13 pm, April 5, 2017
A SALESMAN has avoided jail after pleading guilty to fraud and stealing money from a Vauxhall dealership.
Southampton Crown Court heard that 29-year-old Riccardo Iampietro, of Wellstead Way, Hedge End, had stolen £4,828.50 in September 2016 when a customer paid for a vehicle while he was working at Doves Vauxhall in Southampton. He pocketed the cash and it hasn’t been seen since.
Iampietro was, at the time, on bail for another offence related to the buying and selling of a car.
Charles Gabb, prosecuting, added that the defendant was also convicted for stealing thousands of pounds from selling cars and motorbikes at another garage, in June 2014.
Defending, Berenice Mulvanny said that Iampietro was before the court in October for a separate fraud offence and given a chance to sort his life out and fix his gambling problem. She added that, since then, he had cleared his debts, was not gambling anymore and had a full-time job.
Judge Peter Ralls recalled that it was he who had told Iampietro to get his life together back in October, but added that if he had known about these offences then he would have imposed an immediate custodial sentence.
Acknowledging Iampietro’s efforts to change, however, Judge Ralls handed out a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, and Iampietro was told to complete 45 days of rehabilitation activities.
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