He even conned his wife into believing he was a high flyer.

Timothy Smith, a management accountant from Seisdon, near Wolverhampton, was today starting a four-year jail sentence after transferring company cash straight into his personal account to “portray himself as someone more important than he actually was”.

The shamed 28-year-old wept in the dock at Wolverhampton Crown Court after his web of lies was revealed.

Today West Midlands Police refused to release a photograph of Smith after carrying out a “risk assessment”.

Graham Henson, defending, told the court: “He spent the money on a nice house for his wife and young family and buying some cars.

“Everyone around him, including his wife, thought he was doing very well at work. He was earning £22,000 and living in a £400,000 house with many cars. It is ludicrous. He was living a lie.”

The court heard yesterday how Smith’s dream lifestyle came to an abrupt end when it was discovered he had been creating false invoices at West Bromwich firm Atotech Ltd.

Jailing Smith, who admitted theft, Recorder Peter Cooke also ordered him to pay back £306,238 within the next year or face a five more years behind bars.

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