Father lied over child's 'cancer'

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A production manager pretended his young daughter had cancer in a scam to get time off work, a court has heard.

Kevin Parry's employers were so concerned for the child they gave him compassionate leave.

But Swansea Crown Court was told that while he was off on full pay, his firm discovered he had also faked almost £9,000 in expense claims.

Parry, from near Bridgend, was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence after admitting 30 deception charges.

The judge told Parry he had a "quite marked dishonest streak" and was able to manipulate a situation to gain dishonestly.

The court heard that Parry, 46, had also faked his qualifications to get his post at Altron Communications at Capel Hendre near Ammanford.

He claimed he had a postgraduate masters degree from Hallam University in Sheffield, when he had no degree of any kind.

Once in the job, he kept presenting invoices for equipment, which it later emerged had never been ordered.

You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself Judge, Mr Recorder Malcolm Bishop

He also put in bogus hotel receipts, and even passed on £420 in bank charges to the firm.

The prosecution said matters came to a head in July 2006, when Parry had been off work for two months after claiming his daughter had cancer.

His employers discovered that Parry's daughter suffered with asthma, but did not have cancer.

Mr Recorder Bishop told Parry: "You were perfectly fit to work but told them your daughter was suffering from cancer.

"You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself."

In addition to admitting the 30 deception offences, he also admitted gaining a monetary advantage by lying about his qualifications.

His defence team said Parry had been addicted to the drug amphetamine at the time of his crimes.

'Repay'

Since the offences, Parry has landed a £42,000 a year job in Norfolk.

Sentencing him to 12 months custody, suspended for two years, Mr Recorder Bishop said he would have jailed Parry immediately, but his "entirely innocent wife and two children would then suffer" by losing their home.

Parry, from Bryntirion, was also ordered to carry out 200 hours community work, and repay his old company £14,000.