Swansea Crown Court heard that Ivo Ricardo Rodrigues Lima, 39, of Brewery Road, Carmarthen, was treated “like a member of the family” by the owners of the Spilman Hotel in Carmarthen town centre. But over a period of three years he diverted customer payments into his own bank account, living a lifestyle beyond his £35,000 salary.
The court was told Lima had effectively taken over the running of the hotel when the owner became seriously ill. Prosecutor Caitlyn Jones said suspicions were raised in January 2024 when the number of bookings no longer matched the hotel’s income. When family members tried to check the accounts, they found Lima had changed the passwords.
Once access was regained, they discovered money from the hotel’s Stripe and Barclays Merchant accounts had been transferred directly into Lima’s personal account. Emails relating to the transactions had also been deleted.
In total, between February 2021 and July 2024, Lima stole £154,591. When confronted, he admitted what he had done and repaid just £1,500, telling the family he had spent the money on a car and electrical items.
In a statement read to the court, the family said they had run the Spilman Hotel since 1972 and had always treated Lima as one of their own. They said his actions had nearly bankrupted the business and were particularly painful given they were dealing with a serious health issue at the time.
Defence barrister Dyfed Thomas said Lima had no previous convictions and described the case as a “spectacular fall from grace”. He said the money had not been spent on gambling or drugs, but on clothes, electrical goods and family expenses.
Judge Geraint Walters told Lima he had “grossly abused” the trust placed in him, saying:
“You were living a grander life than your salary provided for at the expense of your employer. £155,000 is a significant amount of money for a family‑run business.”
Lima was sentenced to 30 months in prison. He will serve up to half in custody before being released on licence.
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