A production company behind the film adaptation of hit musical Cats was swindled out of more than £230,000 by one of its accountants, it is alleged.
Scott Hiskey, 30, is accused of siphoning off money from Monumental Pictures over two-and-a-half years while employed as a production accountant. It is said the vast majority of the money was taken during the creation of the first two series of hit drama Harlots, starring Samantha Morton and Lesley Manville.
Hiskey is accused of also taking money during filming of forthcoming film How To Build A Girl and a series of BBC comedy Ghosts. Islington-based Monumental Pictures was created in 2014 as a collaboration between Oscar-nominated producers Alison Owen and Debra Hayward.
Their company is one of the creative forces behind the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats. ITV Studios bought into Monumental Pictures shortly after its creation, and took a controlling stake last month.
Hiskey, of Dunmow in Essex, appeared at Highbury Corner magistrates’ court yesterday to face a charge of fraud by abuse of position.
“Monumental Pictures was involved in the production of various TV programmes,” said prosecutor Alex Britton. “Each production has its own bank account, and the defendant is alleged to have transferred or siphoned off money to his own personal account.”
It is said that Hiskey took £230, 116 between April 2016 and last October while working at Monumental Pictures’ offices in Angel. He did not indicate a plea as magistrates sent the case to be dealt with at Snaresbrook crown court. Hiskey was set free on unconditional bail until a hearing on September 16.
