A squaddie who stole almost £350,000 from the army to buy three Tesla cars, a hair transplant and 'adult services' has been locked up.
Staff Sergeant Andrew Oakes was in charge of a pre-signed military cheque book, which he used on 125 occasions to funnel cash into his own account.
Teesside Crown Court heard how his deception only came to light when queries were made about his regular absences from work at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.
Oakes' fraudulent behaviour started on a relatively minor level when he claimed travel expenses he was not entitled to before he turned his greedy attention to the cheque book he had control over.
The court heard he wrote the names of colleagues on the cheque stubs, which initially dragged them into the investigation.
