Thursday 21st June, 2012

A Lancashire part-time accounts assistant has been found guilty of de-frauding her organisation of more than £122,000 by using fake invoices, which she marked as paid and then placed the funds into her own account. Most of the 122 fraudulant transactions, occurring over a four year period, were then used to fund her lavish wedding.

Company Director, Peter Sutton said she had cost the firm about £300,000, due to tax and VAP payments, and put the livelihoods of 20-plus people" at risk.

She had diverted around £70,000 into her husband's account, which he had been told were the result of savings, bonuses and salary. Around £6,000 was placed in a third account. Passing sentence, Judge Pamela Badley said that her behaviour amounted to a "cynical exploitation of the small company for which you worked".

Mr Sutton comented that the company had been defrauded in a complex way, with no obvious digital trail.