Ofcom's ex-IT boss to serve jail time

Communications regulator Ofcom's former IT services chief has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for defrauding the body out of more that 500,000.

Jurgen Whitehouse, a 37-year-old from Kent, pleaded guilty after he was reported to the police by the financial controller at Ofcom and investigated by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Economic and Specialist Crime Unit.

Neither the police nor Ofcom have given any details on exactly how Whitehouse managed to squeeze more than half a million pounds from a public body before anyone noticed.

"This was a premeditated and calculated fraud on a public body which was conducted over a prolonged period," said investigating officer Detective Constable Elliott Toms.

The fraud was as a consequence of the abuse of position by a particular employee rather than as a consequence of a weakness in Ofcom's processes.

"He exploited his expert knowledge of systems in place at Ofcom in order to steal in excess of half a million pounds. This sentence will hopefully serve as a deterrent to others who are similarly tempted to abuse their positions of responsibility."

Whitehouse was sentenced after pleading guilty at Southwark Crown Court on 10 May to one count of fraud where he admitted to abusing his senior position in IT to defraud his employer. He has also since repaid some of the money.

Ofcom defends controls

Ofcom defended its internal controls despite the fraud taking place over nearly a year between July 2008 and April 2009.

"In 2009 Jurgen Whitehouse was dismissed by Ofcom for gross misconduct," Ofcom said in a statement.

"The matter of suspected fraud was reported immediately to the police. Jurgen Whitehouse pleaded guilty to Fraudulent Abuse of Position under the Fraud Act. The majority of the funds have already been returned to Ofcom and we are confident that we will recover the full amount."

"Our financial controls are robust, appropriate and proportionate. The fraud was as a consequence of the abuse of position by a particular employee rather than as a consequence of a weakness in Ofcom's processes."

Ofcom said Whitehouse was sacked in October 2009 for gross misconduct over inappropriate use of equipment, while the fraud was discovered later and reported immediately to the police in March 2010.