Former Oakham Postmistress jailed for £114,000 fraud

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Former Oakham Post Office sub-postmistress jailed for £114,000 fraud

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The former sub-postmistress at Oakham Post Office has been jailed for 16 months after pleading guilty to a £114,000 fraud.

Anne Manger was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court after admitting to fraud by abuse of her position at the branch in Market Place.

The court was told she fraudulently generated cash credits to pay her personal bills between January, 2010 and December last year. The sums involved totalled £113,872.

Two relief managers have been running the business since March.

One, who asked not to be named, said: “The staff here are brilliant and have soldiered on throughout all of this. We are trying our best with a limited number of staff to offer a professional service when people come into the post office.

“The branch will continue to be open and people will be served the way they should be.”

The branch was closed for several days in December when an audit was carried out and revealed the shortfall of £113,872.

The post office business is now up for sale and on the market for £150,000.

A Post Office spokesman said: “We takes a zero tolerance policy to the rare incidents of dishonesty. However, when incidents do occur we always seek to take action against those responsible.

“We believe that all sub-postmasters hold a unique position of trust.

“The overwhelming majority of people who work in our branch network are professional, honest and provide the highest standards of service possible and so it is always disappointing when that trust is breached.”