A council worker who stole nearly £900,000 from vulnerable benefit claimants in order to buy BMWs and a luxury holiday home has been jailed.
Richard Shaw, 46, abused his position as a member of the financial protection team at Bolton Council in order to transfer cash to his own bank account.
His role was to manage benefits on behalf of service users who were unable to manage their own finances and had no one else to assist them.
He was the allocated case worker for 217 service users. Of those, 43 were dead, with their funds being held waiting to go to next of kin or to the state.
Between 2015 and 2023 he stole £893,296, transferring the funds to nine personal accounts held in his name, Bolton Crown Court heard.
An investigation into Shaw was launched in 2023 after concerns were raised over some of the accounts Shaw was responsible for, which were ‘running unusually low’ with ‘irregular internal transactions’.
His extravagant spending habits were later uncovered which included two BMW cars and a £100,000 holiday lodge in Ribble Valley, Lancashire.
When he was arrested on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position and money laundering, Greater Manchester Police seized several high-value items including computers and bikes were seized during a warrant at Shaw’s home in Bolton.
On top of this, the thief was found to have sent more than £53,000 to different women with references such as ‘treat’, ‘allowance’ ‘nice’ and ‘a**’ – which amounted to hundreds of pounds every week.
Shaw was sacked for gross misconduct in March 2023 when the council identified and reported the possible fraud to Greater Manchester Police.
He initially denied fraud by abuse of position but later changed his plea to guilty at an earlier hearing in December 2025.
Today Shaw was jailed for four years and eight months.
Holly Nelson, prosecuting, said: ‘He had access to funds from that time, and began the movement of funds from May 5 2015. The unlawful transfers of funds were not stopped through his formal promotion, in fact they increased in intensity and quantity.
‘The defendant’s salary ranged from a net income of £15,748 for 2015/16 to £20,126 for 2022/23. His total salary over the relevant period was: £161,498.’
Shaw had ‘detailed’ knowledge of the banking systems used by the council. Ms Nelson added: ‘The prosecution say he used this knowledge of internal systems to circumvent them to divert funds to himself.
‘The defendant was fulfilling these roles in safeguarding vulnerable service users’ funds whilst funnelling those very same funds into his own bank accounts. A financial wolf in sheep’s clothing within Bolton council.’
Eleanor Brambell, mitigating, said Shaw had ‘buried his head in the sand’.
‘He is remorseful and wishes me to express that,’ she added. ‘He states he should never have done this.
‘The impact on the people he worked with and his whole family is something that can never be undone.’ She said he and his wife have since separated. Shaw’s wife faced no court action.
‘The depth of your deception was breathtaking’
During the sentencing, Recorder Michael Hayton KC said: ‘The depth of your deception was breathtaking. I am satisfied you did so because you were able to. It is deeply regrettable you were not caught much earlier than you were.
‘You are a broken man, it is only your fault. Such was your greed and betrayal of trust of those you needed your assistance. You used the funds simply for high living for you and for your wife.’
Following sentencing, CPS specialist prosecutor Stephanie Pendered said: ‘Richard Shaw was entrusted with safeguarding the finances of some of the most vulnerable people in his community. Instead, he systematically stole from them over an eight-year period.
‘His victims were people who relied on the council because they could not manage their own affairs. Shaw callously exploited that vulnerability, even targeting the accounts of deceased service users knowing they would be less likely to be checked.’
Detective Sergeant Daniel Sanchez, from GMP’s economic and cyber crime unit, said: ‘In his role as an appointed officer, Shaw was responsible for managing 120 client cases.
‘Shaw abused his position of trust within the council by transferring clients’ money to accounts he had set up in his own name.
‘His systematic theft and haphazard spending was uncovered by our financial investigator.
‘There will now be a proceeds of crime hearing to reclaim the rest of the money so the council can be reimbursed.’
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: ‘Bolton Council has robust measures in place to detect, prevent and deter corruption and this crime was first uncovered via our own internal safeguards.
‘We have worked closely with Greater Manchester Police to build the case that has resulted in this sentence which reflects the gravity and impact of the crime committed.
‘Cases like this are exceptionally rare and the actions of one person do not reflect a wider workforce that is conscientious, diligent, and committed to public service.
‘Any identified financial losses to individuals as a result of this fraud have been refunded by the council, and benefit losses rectified.’
