A former sales director of the Clifford Jones timber company in Ruthin has admitted defrauding his ex-employers.

The prosecution at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday claimed that defendant Nigel Bacon was responsible for a £91,266 fraud against the company between April 2008 and November of 2015.

Bacon, 53, of Newbold Way, Nantwich in Cheshire, admitted the fraud charge but disputed the amount.

The defence claimed that the fraud involved £47,000.

Judge Rhys Rowlands rebailed him for a pre-sentence report and gave the prosecution time to consider whether the defence case was accepted.

The judge said that if the prosecution did not accept the defence figure then evidence would need to be called to establish on what basis he should be sentenced.

He adjourned the case until January but warned the defendant to expect a prison sentence on whatever basis he was dealt with.

Judge Rowlands told Bacon that he must not read anything into the fact that he was being bailed for a pre-sentence report.

It was a case that called for a prison sentence.

“Plainly it is very serious,” he said.

It crossed the custody threshold and the only question for the sentencing court was how long the defendant would have to serve.

The impact of the offending on the business also needed to be considered.

It had been claimed in a victim impact statement by the owner that the defendant’s fraud came close to ruining the business, the judge said.