Council admin worker, 24, stole £6,000 from his employers in cycle work scheme voucher scam

A council admin worker stole £6,000 from his employer to pay off his £200-a-day cocaine debt in a cycle to work scheme voucher scam.

Trafford Council-worker John Buckley, 24, approved six fraudulent £1,000 cycle to work scheme vouchers for himself which he spent on several bikes in Halfords.

Buckley, from Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, then sold off the bikes on Facebook for £500 each to pay off the debt he accrued from spending ‘£200 a day on cocaine’. 

Buckley pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and will be sentenced next month.

Under the Government scheme, employers provide vouchers which can be spent on bikes and equipment in various retailers nation-wide.

Bosses then recoup the cash in tax-efficient installments taken out of their employee’s monthly wage. 

Trafford Council-worker John Buckley, 24, (pictured) approved six fraudulent cycle to work scheme vouchers for himself – totaling £6,000 – which he spent on several bikes in Halford

Buckley –  who was also addicted to Xanax – acted as a finance administration support worker who approved cycle to work applications made by his colleagues.

He then amended their wages to account for the monthly payments. 

But when Buckley approved £6,000-worth of vouchers for himself to use, he did not set up salary sacrifice payments. 

Buckley redeemed the vouchers at Halfords and bought numerous bikes, before selling them on Facebook for £500 each.

In one Facebook post, he wrote: ‘Fully legit, just using a voucher from the cycle to work scheme.’

Buckley, from Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, then sold off the bikes for £500 each to pay off the debts he accrued from spending ‘£200 a day on cocaine’, Manchester Magistrates’ Court (pictured) heard

He had been working for Trafford Council for a year when he started applying for and approving his own applications, Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard.

Prosecuting for Trafford council, Kyle Maycock said: ‘When [Buckley’s] role ended, he moved to a different position, but he continued to apply for the cycle to work scheme on six different occasions.

‘He claimed the maximum amount up to £1,000, so the defendant received £7,000.

‘The first application was July 17, 2018, but he set up the salary sacrifice details and so the defendant was not charged with that offence as it was correctly set up in keeping with his role.

‘However, he didn’t set this up for the other applications and obtained £6,000 and redeemed the vouchers at Halfords.

‘He sent an email to the credit control at Halfords asking for the voucher to be brought forward, he then processed it himself.

‘He then posted an advert on Facebook selling the vouchers stating “fully legit, just using a voucher from the cycle to work scheme”.’