A dad-of-one betrayed a family beer company by stealing more than £800,000 while the firm struggled to stay afloat.
Ben Dolan, 30, says he took the huge sum from Anfield-based Hops & Barley to fund his £1.2m gambling addiction.
But his devastated employers accused him of also splashing cash on a new house, "lavish wedding", trips to the races and Liverpool tickets.
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Liverpool Crown Court today heard he "brazenly" lied to their faces, while loyal staff had to be made redundant thanks to his dishonesty.
Hops & Barley, which has depots in Liverpool, Holywell and Crewe, was founded in 1989 by John Ravenscroft and employs up to 120 people.
Dolan, of Gondover Avenue, Orrell Park, started working for the company as an accounts assistant in 2014 and was promoted to the role of "in-house accounts manager".
He had access to all five of the firm's bank accounts and had to ensure payments were made to suppliers and received from customers.
Alaric Walmsley, prosecuting, said Dolan stole the money "by creating false invoices for fictitious goods ordered by customers, then bypassing the stock ledger and making payments to a private account of his own".
He did this 128 times between March 23, 2017 and December 27, 2019, stealing £839,281 in total.
On January 7, 2020, company director Caroline Doran asked Dolan about invoices missing VAT figures.
She asked him to produce the original invoices, but when he went into a records room, he instead rang his girlfriend.
Mr Walmsley said his boss asked him for the invoices again and he replied: "These are not invoices, they're dodgy."
Dolan then confessed: "It's me, I've took money for gambling."
He admitted to Mr Ravenscroft that he had taken around £800,000 and provided his bank records.
Police were called and arrested Dolan, who made a "full and frank admission" when interviewed, claiming he first transferred money to his account in error, then started doing it on purpose.
Mr Walmsley said: "He stated that he was a gambling addict and had been living a double life, and now wanted to come clean."
Dolan transferred £52,445 in amounts ranging from £500 to £2,000 to the account of his then girlfriend, Rebecca Kimm.
Ms Kimm told police she thought it was winnings from his gambling, but was charged with possessing criminal property, which she denied.
Dolan admitted theft last November, when his sentencing was adjourned to take place after Ms Kimm's trial.
Mr Walmsley said Ms Kimm's accounts showed Dolan had deposited large sums of money into her account before he started stealing from Hops & Barley, meaning the Crown accepted her defence "namely that the defendant would repeatedly deceive her".
On April 28, the Crown offered no evidence against Ms Kimm and a formal not guilty verdict was recorded.
Mr Walmsley said victim statements described the "terrible impact" on the family business and its members.
He said: "There is a general feeling of betrayal, shock, and disbelief at the defendant’s duplicity.
"They explain how, for over two years, the defendant would brazenly lie when asked about money and even blame others for the financial problems that the business was suffering.
"They recount how the defendant showed no remorse, rather, he is described as being chirpy, happy, and how he got everything that he wanted.
"He got a new house, had a lavish wedding, dined out regularly, went to the races, and went to watch Liverpool play football.
"Meanwhile, the family were going without wages so they could pay staff, a family wedding was postponed because of the financial problems, and loyal and longstanding staff were made redundant."
Mr Walmsley said the family questioned whether the company would still exist if Dolan hadn't been caught and "there is still a genuine fear that the business will not survive".
He said they spoke of the damage to the firm's reputation caused by Dolan's "greed and selfishness" and the mental and emotional impact.
The prosecutor said: "Reference is made to feelings of helplessness, and being exhausted, beaten, and even suicidal."
Simon Driver, defending Dolan, who had no previous convictions, accepted the loss of the money was "painfully felt".
However, he disputed his client led a "lavish lifestyle" and said when arrested he had debts of up to £40,000 because of his gambling.
He said Dolan got married in February 2020 and Ms Kimm was now the sole earner, while Dolan cared for their daughter, aged two.
Mr Driver said Dolan, who had earned £21,000 a year, wasn't a qualified accountant, but accepted his theft involved "cunning".
He said Dolan, who will be bankrupt for 11 years, was remorseful, hadn't gambled since and sought help from Gamblers Anonymous.
The judge, Recorder Stan Reiz, QC, said Dolan told a psychiatrist about "winning streaks" and how he had intended to repay money after big wins.
Mr Driver confirmed his client hadn't done this and spent the money on more gambling, but accepted "it would be unrealistic to suggest every last penny went to bookmakers".
He said: "He tells me that on his study of his bank accounts something approaching £1.2m passed through his bank accounts in this period to bookmakers."
The judge said the theft was "devastating" for Hops & Barley and Mr Ravenscroft paid wages from his own savings and cashed-in a pension "to keep the company afloat".
He said Dolan knew this and the family were "bewildered" why the company was struggling, when it was down to his "deceit".
Recorder Reiz told Dolan "you were trying to satisfy your greed" and while his gambling "fuelled this dishonest enterprise", over nearly three years "there was plenty of opportunity for you to see sense to stop", but he "covered up his tracks" and lied to his bosses.
The judge told Dolan: "You used the thrill of gambling to medicate yourself against anxiety and depression."
However, he said the victim statements were "heartbreaking".
He said: "These were hardworking people who were trying to run a family business - you betrayed them in the most callous way."
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The judge said the firm treated Dolan well but he was "sabotaging their business" and "never once sought to repay any of the money".
Referring to Dolan's alleged spending not on gambling, the judge said his wife also had her own income, "but the fact is you were supplementing the finances enjoyed by you and your wife by your criminal conduct".
He jailed Dolan for three and a half years.
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