Stash clue to theft of Carillion's £750,000

The hunt for cash stolen by an ex-worker of Wolverhampton construction company Carillion has been stepped up amid claims that she "laundered" some of the cash.

Mother-of-four Sarah Prendergast, aged 34, paid for a cruise, clothes and a car after diverting money destined for sub-contractors into her own bank accounts in a scam which netted her £750,000.

None of the cash has been recovered, and it has emerged that police believe Prendergast, who is serving a three-year sentence at a Yorkshire prison, stashed some of the cash away.

Mr Anthony Potter, for Prendergast, outlined the allegation at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday ahead of a hearing in November at which a judge will decide how much should be paid back. He said police "believed that there was a great deal of laundering and secretion of assets."

Mr Potter said: "We've served a very detailed response which we believe will show that this is not the case."

It was also revealed that Prendergast, formerly of Davenport Road, Tettenhall, had written cheques to her former husband, who was not named in court, totalling £23,000, in what prosecutors say were "tainted gifts". A statement is now expected to be taken from him, although there was no suggestion of wrong-doing on his part.

In June, Prendergast admitted 11 charges of obtaining money transfers by deception.

She joined Carillion, based in Birch Street in the city centre, in August 2001 before being transferred to consultants Accenture, which looks after the company's finances and human resources. As sub-contracts section leader at Accenture, she would access holding accounts, swap sub-contractors' bank account details for her own and then make payments, usually of around £25,000.

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told that some of the sub-contractors had been "lax" and not claimed the money Carillion owed them, allowing Prendergast to carry on her scam for four years.

A full confiscation hearing was yesterday set for November 21.