Accountant pleads guilty to defrauding X Factor winner of £600k

An accountant has pleaded guilty to defrauding X Factor winner, James Arthur, of £599,000.

Mark Livermore, 39, worked for Arthur’s Raff Music company, where he moved funds to other accounts without the permission of Arthur. Livermore admitted to one count of fraud at Westminster Magistrates Court, with chairwoman of the bench Diane Lennan calling Livermore’s crime “an abuse of position over a substantial period of time”.

Livermore of Billericay, Essex, took the money gradually over the time he worked for the singer’s company. Misba Majid prosecuting, said the accountant’s offences required “a significant degree of planning”.

Livermore has been granted unconditional bail until his trial at Southwark Crown Court, of which the date is yet to be decided.