Tuxedo-wearing hotel manager jailed for £155,000 theft from family-run hotel

A tuxedo-wearing manager at the award-winning Spilman Hotel in Carmarthen has been jailed after stealing more than £154,000 from the family-run business when the owner fell ill. Ivo Lima, 39, served as the hotel’s general manager and was treated by the family as a trusted member, but prosecutors say he systematically diverted customer payments into his own bank account over three years to fund a more lavish lifestyle. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison by Swansea Crown Court.

Prosecutors said Lima stole £154,591 from February 2021 to July 2024 and manipulated the hotel’s banking arrangements to hide the withdrawals. The owner’s illness had left the business more vulnerable, and in January 2024 they noticed that bookings were not reflecting the income, prompting investigators to look closely at the financial systems. When attempts were made to review payments, passwords had been changed to deny access, the court heard.

Family members later accessed the systems and found money transferred directly into Lima’s personal account, with emails relating to the transactions deleted. The prosecutor, Caitlyn Jones, said that between February 2021 and July 2024 Lima had stolen £154,591 from the hotel. When challenged, Lima admitted the theft and repaid £1,500, telling investigators he had spent the money on a car and electrical items.

In an impact statement, the family noted Lima had been “as a member of the family not just an employee” and had repaid their trust by taking money that nearly bankrupted the business they have run since 1972. They said it was particularly upsetting that the theft occurred while the family was dealing with the owner’s health issues. Lima’s defence, presented by Dyfed Thomas, argued there was no gambling debt or misuse of drugs or alcohol and said the money was spent on clothes and other general family expenditures. The barrister described Lima’s case as a “spectacular fall from grace” for a man of previously good character who had worked hard all his life and expressed the defendant’s apology to the family, though such apologies would likely bring little comfort.

The judge said only immediate custody was appropriate, and Lima was sentenced to 30 months in prison.