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| The Hardwick restaurant is run by former Michelin star chef Stephen Terry |
A
celebrity chef said he was "gobsmacked" by a judge's decision not to
jail a married couple who stole £150,000 from his restaurant.
Stephen
Terry, a former Michelin star chef who has been on the BBC's Great
British Menu, fell victim to fraud by Nicola and Simon Nightingale at
The Hardwick in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.
They were given suspended sentences, which he called an "absolute joke".
He said the impact of the fraud was "potentially devastating".
At Cardiff Crown Court, they were both given suspended two-year sentences and must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
Judge
Barry Clarke said sending both defendants to prison would have had a
"lasting, negative impact on [the children] and upon their development".
In
March 2020, Mr Terry became suspicious of Nicola Nightingale's
behaviour and tried to contact her and her husband about irregularities
in the accounts.
They did not reply and Nicola Nightingale then resigned as an office administrator via an email.
Mr
Terry then contacted the police who discovered that, over a two-year
period, Nicola Nightingale had transferred almost £47,000 into her
husband's bank account, made direct payments of more than £50,000 to her
own account, inflated her wages by £6,000 and made additional payments
to herself disguised as paid wages of £47,000.
It also emerged that two £40,000 loans had been taken out in Mr Terry's name without his permission.
The court heard that Nicola Nightingale used the money to fund her spending addiction.
During Simon Nightingale's trial, it was revealed that some of the money was spent on holidays abroad.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Terry said what happened had "no doubt" damaged his reputation.
"The
impact of being defrauded of such a significant amount of money and
having large outstanding payments to my suppliers is potentially
devastating," he said.
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| Stephen and Joanne Terry, the Hardwick owners outside court after the case |
Outside court, Mr Terry said he was "gobsmacked" by the judge's decision.
"To be here today and to get that news that they would both be given suspended sentences, it's an absolute joke," he said.
"They've had £150,000 from a small business.
"We don't make a lot of money. It's a labour of love, it's a passion," Mr Terry added.
