HIGH-FLIER Andrew May has been jailed for a year for stealing more than £100,000 from a city firm.

The 30-year-old, from Quarry Park, Heavitree, Exeter, admitted at Exeter Crown Court to three thefts by an employee, from the city branch of the insurance firm Friends Provident, totalling £112,952.

Judge Jeremy Griggs told him: "You were someone who had a great deal of advantages — you threw that all away."

He was a well-respected technical consultant at the insurance firm, with access to confidential information, who stole two deceased clients' pensions and from a tax refund to another pension, to fund his gambling addiction.

The court heard he had been a talented amateur rugby, football and cricket player, including for Exeter Under 18s cricket team, had won the Top Scholar award at Exeter College and then went onto launch his successful career.

Prosecutor David Bowen said the thefts came to light during routine checks, in January this year, when May had already left for another job.

He had been employed at Friends Provident between March 1998 and May 2006 and briefly again last year.

"He could make payments up to £100,000 without the authority of anyone else and had access to computers with passwords other than his own," said Mr Bowen.

May paid proceeds of two pensions of two deceased customers to himself on separate occasions in 2004, worth £15,290 and £22,387 respectively.

The rest of the stolen cash was from a complex scam using various methods including paying a tax refund intended for a pension into a fictitious fund.

"He had to take steps to cover his tracks," said Mr Bowen, describing elaborate financial methods which May used to increase the amount of money he could steal.

Police found damning paperwork at May's home when they searched it in May last year and he confessed at a second interview with officers.

"He said he had a gambling addiction," said Mr Bowen. "He stressed no one else was involved and he had lost the money."

Defence counsel Martin Meeke QC said he had been recommended to represent May by a former probation officer who knew May and thought he was an "inherently decent person" before he turned to crime.

May had no previous convictions, suffered from severe diabetes and had excellent references.

He had been in employment at the firm for several years before the crime and had since worked for another business.

May said, in a statement: "I can only apologise now and make this as easy as possible (for police)."

Judge Griggs said the 12 month sentence would not hinder May's application to the immigration authorities to move to the United States with his fiancée upon his release from prison, although this was not the purpose of setting that length of time.

The judge ordered him to pay £12,500 compensation and said a confiscation hearing would be held on a date to be set.