The man who was found guilty of defrauding two Spar franchises in Gqeberha and Despatch of more than R52 million has been sentenced to an effective 22 years in prison.
Fifty-two-year-old Jonathan Blow faced two counts of theft and was sentenced to 15 years on each count in the city's Specialised Commercial Crimes court on Thursday.
Blow stole millions from the Sundridge and Despatch Superspars between September 2020 and March 2022 while he was the accountant for the two businesses.
Magistrate Vuziwe Mnyani said eight years of the first count will run concurrently with a portion of the second count as he had stolen from two businesses.
Blow, who admitted to having a gambling addiction, was dressed in a crisp white shirt and stood upright when his sentence was read out.
Mnyani said she took all factors into account when deciding on a suitable sentence.
"You abused the trust of Peter and Paul Barnes, was greedy, and can only blame yourself for everything."
She also mentioned that Blow showed more regret than remorse, saying the remorse that he did show was self-serving.
"You have no regard for other people and committed the crimes for your enrichment," she added.
Brothers Peter and Paul Barnes who have been attending the proceedings from the onset, said they were relieved that the matter had been concluded and they can carry on with their lives.
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"We are completely satisfied with the sentence. He is lucky that he did not get 30 years, but I think that 22 years sends out a stern warning, especially to accountants," says Despatch Superspar owner Paul Barnes.
Asked whether they would ever be able to forgive Blow, Peter said: "I don't think I will be able to answer that."
His brother weighed in and said, it was too early to tell, as all of it is still raw.
"The thing is, it's not just the two of us who suffered losses, in my case, I had to sell my business and before that, I could not pay bonuses to my staff for years," added Peter.
Quizzed on whether there is another business on the horizon, he said that there might be something but he is not in a hurry.
