Village postmistress stole £94k

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.longridgenews.co.uk/news/loc ... _1_2958970" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A ONCE respected village postmistress has been jailed for 18 months after she stole almost £100,000 from her branch.


Jacqueline McDonald, 45, had previously pleaded guilty to theft and seven counts of false accounting after investigations revealed serious shortfalls in the amount of cash held at the village’s post office in Garstang Road.

Preston Crown Court heard the mum-of-three had prepared her family for her jail term by teaching them basic housekeeping skills.

The court heard McDonald took over the business when she returned from the United States with her husband in December 2006.

But from March 2008, McDonald admits declaring “fictitious” figures relating to cash held on the premises.

On October 1, 2008, Caroline Richards, a business development officer for the Post Office, visited the sub-post office to check the amounts of cash being held.

McDonald, who gave her address in court as the flat above the post office, had been declaring figures in excess of £100,000, but when Mrs Richards asked her to take the money from the safe, the sub-postmistress only produced £17,000.

John Gibson, prosecuting, told the court McDonald was asked to produce the rest of the cash, but when she opened the safe Mrs Richards could see it was empty and McDonald admitted there was no more money on the premises.

Auditors were called in and a shortfall of £94,380.69 was uncovered.

Mark Stuart, defending, said the McDonalds had taken on the business with the best intentions but had taken on large loans.

Their overheads were high and Mrs McDonald had been maintaining them with the profits of the business.

However, he said they ran into difficulties following a refurbishment and installation of new systems in May 2007.

He said: “She accepts false accounting. She accepts she put the figures in because the tills didn’t balance...

“The Post Office says that the money is being used to support the business.”

Handing McDonald an 18-month prison sentence, recorder of Preston Judge Anthony Russell QC told her: “As sub-postmistress you were in a position of trust and you were the custodian of effectively public money.

“What has happened to the money is not clear but you were responsible for the money and you have pleaded guilty to the theft of it.

“Thefts by those who are the custodians of public money are particularly serious and they call for punitive sentencing.

“This was a serious breach of trust by you.”

Appearing in the dock, wearing a black suit and pillarbox red top, McDonald spoke only to confirm her name.

Mr Stuart said McDonald – a mother of three with previous good character – was realistic about the sentence she was expecting and had been preparing her family for her time in prison.

He said she had been teaching them basic cooking skills and had put her daughter through her driving test.

He said she had never spent time away from her family and said: “She has become distressed and she is extremely anxious about the effect on her family.”

After the case Matthew Ireland, assistant manager at nearby Burlington’s Restaurant, said: “People have been pretty disgusted by what has happened. It has affected a lot of people quite badly.

“When they had to close down there were a lot of elderly people who couldn’t just nip out and get a loaf of bread or draw their pension.

“They don’t drive so they were having to get taxis into Preston.

“Broughton is a close community and a lot of people were very upset.”

Iky Patel, manager of the Gate of Bengal, in Broughton, said: “I’d heard a few rumours about there being some kind of fraud case going on from our customers.

“We did know her. She hadn’t been here long.

“She seemed like a pleasant lady - we had no idea she was going through this.

“She seemed all right and it seemed like she was doing the best she could with the business.”

[apple]

Appearing in the dock, wearing a black suit and pillarbox red top,

i know i shouldn't but that bit made me laugh

[fishtank]

“What has happened to the money is not clear but you were responsible for the money and you have pleaded guilty to the theft of it.

Another one of those..she stole it but nobody knows where it went stories.
If she is admitting to nicking it she should know where it went..or am i missing something?

[subbie]

Hi Fishtank

It all depends on what the actual charges were, I wouldn't trust the press to have got it right.

I suspect the only charges were for false accounting, which is a section contained within the theft act, hence the confusion with theft, as in taking actual dosh.

Some of the figures involved are so high that the branch would simply not have that amount in the safe, even over a period of time, and still be able to operate.

What has occurred is a counter balance loss, or a series of counter balance losses, figures in other words. Figures that do not add up, so what happens is the individual makes the figures fit, by falsifying the figures usually by entering false figures in the cash declaration.

Under false accounting it matters not if you have not gained an actual cash advantage, what matters is that Postmasters have to produce a balanced set of accounts, if you cannot then POL deem that the discrepancy has been caused by your own actions and they want the discrepancy made good, "in cash" even though the error may not have been a cash error.

Think child pressing all the buttons on a Horizon keyboard with gay abandon, try then to sort out the balance.

Interestingly Crown Office colleagues have these types of losses as well, but they do not have to make good the cash value, they might get flogged, or even sacked, but they don't put the cash in.

subbie

[billyhayes]

What has occurred is a counter balance loss, or a series of counter balance losses, figures in other words.

I think what has occurred is sticky fingers, or a series of sticky fingers, THEFT in other words.

Think child pressing all the buttons on a Horizon keyboard with gay abandon, try then to sort out the balance.

You Sir, are a legend. Where were you when she needed a watertight defence?

Interestingly Crown Office colleagues have these types of losses as well...

Wow. Just... wow! In all the years I've been with POL I ain't never known anyone to open the main safe and declare
"Ay-up! Wheres that NINETY FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS gone!?"

[Lounge Lizard]

What has occurred is a counter balance loss, or a series of counter balance losses, figures in other words.

I think what has occurred is sticky fingers, or a series of sticky fingers, THEFT in other words.

Think child pressing all the buttons on a Horizon keyboard with gay abandon, try then to sort out the balance.

You Sir, are a legend. Where were you when she needed a watertight defence?

Interestingly Crown Office colleagues have these types of losses as well...

Wow. Just... wow! In all the years I've been with POL I ain't never known anyone to open the main safe and declare
"Ay-up! Wheres that NINETY FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS gone!?"
Don't give 'em ideas

[subbie]

>>>Wow. Just... wow! In all the years I've been with POL I ain't never known anyone to open the main safe and declare
"Ay-up! Wheres that NINETY FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS gone!?"<<<

Information provided on this Forum by a POL employee shows that Crowns cost POL over £2m per annum directly attributable to losses in the tills of Counter Clerks. See the losses policy doc. (admittedly it is a couple of years old, but I doubt much has changed)
Add this to the £300m per annum POL say they lose by providing the Crown Office type of service, and you can understand why the Crown Network is in the spotlight for shutdown.

But Billy once again you are being picky with the information provided regarding these unfortunate cases, in nearly all of them even POL admit in Court that money was not missing from the safe!!!!! Lets say that again, in case you are hard of understanding, money was not missing from the safe, which part of that do you not understand?

subbie

[billyhayes]

LOL!!! That money is missing yay or nay... I care not a jot. I just like to see justice served is all.

Another dodgy subpostie bites the dust and serving porridge to boot!

What part of "I just come here 'cos I like winding you up." don't you understand!!???????

I will not stop. My soul and dignity are lost.

Be the better man and ignore me, It'll keep your blood pressure down.

subbie