Worker swindled Willenhall firm as debts mounted up
Debt-ridden Carol Edwards swindled her employer, Willenhall's Wedge Group Galvanizing, out of more than £2,000 in a bid to ease her money worries, a court heard.
The 57-year-old was spared an immediate stint behind bars at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday.
Mr Howard Searle, prosecuting, said Edwards dealt with payments made to the company from commercial firms and would be responsible for filling in paying-in books and logging information on a computer system.
The court heard she would pocket the money paid from one firm and used money paid from another company to cover the bill from the first.
She continually moved cash around to make it look like payments had been settled and falsified records.
Mr Searle said there were 10 separate thefts over a period of almost three years where £2,173.60 was stolen.
It came to light when she was away from the office and a customer contacted the firm asking why a stop had been put on their account when payments were up to date.
When checks were made, the fraud started to unravel. The court heard that Edwards resigned from her job when she was challenged, but initially denied any dishonesty. He said the firm operated on personal trust and was extremely disappointed with her behaviour. Edwards, of Westfield Road, Willenhall, initially denied fraud between 2008 and 2011 but later admitted the charge at a pre-trial review hearing.
The court heard she had worked for the company for around 16 years, starting as a cleaner and working her way up the ranks through promotions. Mr Nayan Patel, mitigating, said she had been married for 30 years and was ashamed of her actions. He said she had been going through a difficult period in her life with financial issues and her husband was drinking heavily.
Recorder Stuart Sprawson said initially denying the fraud had prompted the firm to carry out a time-consuming investigation and threw suspicions onto other employees. He told Edwards that she had manipulated the system.
Edwards was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with a supervision requirement for 12 months. She was also given a two-month curfew between the hours of 9pm and 7am.
