Army sergeant jailed after stealing £336,000 of MoD funds to buy Teslas, hair transplant and 'adult services'

13 June 2025, 15:29

A soldier has been jailed after laundering more than £300,000 from the Ministry of Defence to buy cars, a hair transplant and thousands of pounds worth of “adult services”.

Andrew Oakes, 39, used his "prestigious" position as a financial administrator with the 2nd Infantry Training Battalion in Catterick, North Yorkshire, to carry out a “sustained period” of fraudulent activity.

The staff sergeant, from Cheshire, used his trusted role in the battalion to divert £336,448 of public funds into his account between 2021 and May 2024.

He would write cheques to himself, disguising the transactions by falsifying stubs in the names of legitimate suppliers, including a regimental accountant and a tailoring company.

These funds were used to purchase three Tesla cars, a Mini Cooper and a Nissan Qashqai, Teesside crown court heard.

Several Apple products, a hair transplant and £16,500 worth of “adult services” were also purchased by the defendant.

Oakes admitted six fraud charges and was jailed for three and a half years.

His fraudulent activities also included falsifying a bank statement claiming he had £302,000 in savings to secure a mortgage.

He further fraudulently claimed £1,584 in allowances by submitting fake council and utility bills, as well as lying about traveling between Cheshire and Catterick to falsify mileage claims.

Read more: Seven men convicted of sexual exploitation of teenage schoolgirls repeatedly raped in Rochdale

Read more: Teacher in court accused of murder and sex assault of baby he was adopting

By the time he was caught in May 2024, Oakes had written 28 government cheques to himself.

He also authorised his own leave, including compassionate and medical absences, thereby claiming pay to which he was not entitled to.

These extended periods of leave raised eyebrows after bosses noticed that Oakes had worked 79 out of 241 days, prompting an internal investigation.

Tabitha Buck, for the prosecution, read from a statement by Oakes’s line manager, Susan Batesman, which read: “She now finds herself disappointed that a lot of information he was telling her was untrue. She’s now thinking ‘how she can trust people from now on?’”

Passing sentence, Judge Nathan Adams told Oakes: "These were luxury spends by you on vehicles and other expenditure. It only stopped when you were caught.

"You were in a very important position of trust and the damage caused goes far beyond the financial value. Colleagues felt betrayed when they found out what was really going on and it had a significant effect on morale."

At an earlier hearing, Oakes had admitted fraud by false representation, fraud by abuse of position, acquiring criminal property and disguising criminal property.

Defending himself in court, Oakes said: "I just want to apologise to everyone, my family, the army especially. I regret my actions. I was in a bad place with alcohol. I just want to wholeheartedly apologise and let everyone know that I sincerely apologise."

The judge acknowledged that Oakes had shown “genuine remorse” but told him: “This was fraudulent activity over a sustained period of time. You were writing the cheques, changing the stubs and spending the cash.”

A hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act will take place in October to determine whether any of the stolen funds can be recovered.