A Specsavers director has been suspended after wrongfully claiming almost £80,000 in expenses - including a fake Secret Santa gift.
When Mark Edgar was challenged about using the optician's money to pay for hotels, taxis, meals and car repairs, he said "there was no harm in trying", a disciplinary hearing was told.
The 45-year-old hearing aid dispenser, who was also a partner in the high street firm, deliberately disguised personal payments as business ones, such as tax payments and staff incentives.
He also claimed around £45,000 in vouchers between 2008 and 2021 as a way "to quickly and easily take money from the business", the hearing heard.
After finding him guilty of misconduct, a panel at the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service suspended him for a year over his "deplorable" behaviour.
Edgar, who was working at a branch on London's Edgware Road, began making the claims so that he could make payments to his ex-wife to support their children.
Then, during Covid, he claimed more than £1,000 to "lighten his financial burden". This included stays in hotels when tensions were high at home with his partner.
In February 2021, an analyst raised concerns over his expenses for the previous month, saying they were "considerably high".
A preliminary investigation in March that year found almost £18,000 in claims that were either mislabelled, duplicated or inappropriate.
This was put to the company directors, including Edgar himself, who authorised a full investigation.
A full report later concluded Edgar had "a potential liability of £77,215.72".
It added: "These expenses include journeys to and from work, parking at his home address, tyres for his personal car, meals with his partner and hotel stays.
"It is further alleged that one or more of these expenses were miscategorised as PAYE Settlement Agreements, staff incentives, and/or secret Santa presents, and this was done to conceal the actual purpose of the reimbursements and to disguise them in order to financially benefit [him]."
'Deplorable' behaviour
Edgar claimed his business partners were "well aware of his actions and were happy to sign off on expenses".
He claimed those partners would also use vouchers for personal use and it was seen as a way to maximise income.
He further believed they wouldn't be signed off by his colleagues if they were incorrect, and said "there was no harm in trying".
However, the panel dismissed this explanation and found him guilty of a "deliberate and an intentional misuse of the expenses system", noting there was an "absence of any apology or any indication of remorse".
"[Edgar's] conduct fell far below what was expected and was conduct which fellow professionals would regard as deplorable," it said.
"The public expected registered hearing aid dispensers to act with integrity and honesty. Over-claiming expenses inflated the cost of business and was an unethical practice."