Kathryn Kirton managed to avoid jail time in a case where she was found to have stolen nearly $30,000 from Activision, the company she used to be the head of PR at. Kirton skimmed the nearly $30,000 out of the launch budget for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's UK release and used the money to pay for her engagement party.
According to The Daily Mail, Kirton spent £9,437 at Reiss, a designer clothes store over a period of three trips. She also spent £2,000 on a luxury hotel room for herself and her then fiance, Lee Kirton.
Kathryn Kirton did not act alone in this. PR consultant, Jamie Kaye, helped Kirton to make the purchases using his company credit card. He also spent £3,500 to take his family on a trip to Florida.
Both Kirton and Kaye were saved from serving jail time as the judge took pity on them, namely Kirton who, due to the stress of the trial, prematurely gave birth to her child and is having relationship troubles.
Judge Hillen sentenced her to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. The theft was first discovered in 2011.
According to The Daily Mail, Kirton spent £9,437 at Reiss, a designer clothes store over a period of three trips. She also spent £2,000 on a luxury hotel room for herself and her then fiance, Lee Kirton.
Kathryn Kirton did not act alone in this. PR consultant, Jamie Kaye, helped Kirton to make the purchases using his company credit card. He also spent £3,500 to take his family on a trip to Florida.
Both Kirton and Kaye were saved from serving jail time as the judge took pity on them, namely Kirton who, due to the stress of the trial, prematurely gave birth to her child and is having relationship troubles.
Kirton admitted stealing a total of £18,963 from company Activision while co-defendant Kaye admitted taking a total of £5,000. But in sentencing today, Judge John Hillen spared them both jail and said the case reflected the temptations on offer in the world of PR.
He said: "You were in a position of considerable responsibility. You bought a large quantity of designer clothing. You spent time in luxury accommodation and you funded your engagement party through dishonest means. There was repeat dishonesty over a period of months. There is no doubt your wickedness deserves a severe sentence. In the world of PR you are surrounded by luxury items. That is reality for people working in that industry. What is surprising is that cases like this are happening more and more often in your industry. But this is not the place to explore the PR industry."
He said: "You were in a position of considerable responsibility. You bought a large quantity of designer clothing. You spent time in luxury accommodation and you funded your engagement party through dishonest means. There was repeat dishonesty over a period of months. There is no doubt your wickedness deserves a severe sentence. In the world of PR you are surrounded by luxury items. That is reality for people working in that industry. What is surprising is that cases like this are happening more and more often in your industry. But this is not the place to explore the PR industry."
Judge Hillen sentenced her to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. The theft was first discovered in 2011.
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