A grandmother who stole £163,000 from her boss to fund caravanning holidays, trips to Spain and a DIY pop-up pub in the back of her newly refurbished garden was put behind bars today.
Patricia Bennett, 69, was only unmasked as a thief after she retired from her job as accounts manager following almost 25 years in the role.
Her successor discovered suspicious transaction dating back 13 years.
As investigations began into the whereabouts of the missing money, Bennett whose son-in-law in a police officer and her son a prison warder, posted a series of pictures on social media, enjoying UK staycation trips, holidays in the Costa Blanca in Spain and Skiathos in Greece.
Bennett also posted images of a bar she and her unsuspecting husband Lawrence erected at the rear of her home they called ‘Lorenzos.’
It emerged she had been syphoning company cash into three bank accounts – two in her name and one in the name of Mr Bennett – who she has been married to for 50 years.
Patricia Bennett, 69, was only unmasked as a thief after she retired from her job as accounts manager following almost 25 years in the role
Bennett stole £163,000 from her boss to fund caravanning holidays, trips to Spain and a DIY pop-up pub in the back of her newly refurbished garden
On her last day at the firm in July 2021, Bennett was presented with various cards, flowers and other gifts whilst a buffet was laid on for her by colleagues.
And in a series of shameless Facebook messages after her retirement, she boasted of ‘wine o’clock’ get togethers with her husband and friends and posted pictures of her caravan heading of the Lake District.
She bragged: ‘ On the road to our happy place. It’s been a long time coming but we’re off – and the sun is shining.’
Managing director David Whitehead who runs J Shaw Electricals in Westhoughton, Greater Manchester, later told of his feelings of ‘betrayal’ at the hands of Bennett after he employed her for 23 years and treated her as his ‘friend.’
Mr Whitehead, 62, who runs the firm with his younger brother Christopher told the court: ‘We’re a small family business and we like to think there is a family atmosphere with the business. Patricia was brought into our family almost 25 years ago and we trusted her.
‘Had we known she had financial difficulties we would have helped her. The major thing we feel is the betrayal she perpetrated on us over a long period of time. Our business has peaks and troughs and my colleagues and I have had to put money in to ensure it remained fluid when times were hard.
‘But all the time she was taken these monies from us in full knowledge of the state of the business – the accounts of which she had total control.
‘Patricia also dealt with the accounts of my brother, father, and his father too and they also feel betrayed. I still wake up at night now as I just cannot believe this has happened.’
Managing director David Whitehead (pictured) later told of his feelings of ‘betrayal’ at the hands of Bennett after he employed her for 23 years and treated her as his ‘friend’
Pictured is Patricia embarking on one iof her caravan holidays
Bennett posted on Facebook about her trips and
It emerged she had been syphoning company cash into three bank accounts – two in her name and one in the name of Mr Bennett – who she has been married to for 50 years. Pictured: Patricia with husband Lawrence
At Bolton Crown Court, Bennett from Crossdale Road, Hindley Green, near Wigan admitted fraud relating to a total of £163,111.35 and was jailed for 18 months.
The court heard she had been taken on by Mr Whitehead in 1998 as accounts manager on £16,000 a year and she oversaw invoicing, balancing ledgers, paying wages and suppliers and looking after staff pensions.
Brian Berlyne, prosecuting, said: ‘She was trusted by Mr Whitehead and during the course of her employment he had no suspicions about her honesty. But when she retired in July 2001, the company employed a new accounts manager who noticed discrepancies in the accounts.
‘Some suppliers appeared to have been paid twice but upon further investigations the companies concerned said they had only been paid once.
‘Mr Whitehead then made investigations with his bank as to where the payments had gone and it became apparent they were made to two accounts in the name of Patricia Bennett and one in the name of her husband who had no knowledge of the fraudulent transactions.
‘It was found she had created payment references in the name of companies her employer did business with – but inserted her own account number and sort code when making payment. Each payment was relatively modest but that made it more difficult to detect and the transactions were made between July 2008 and April 2021.’
Mr Berlyne added: ‘The defendant was arrested later but made no comment. However her phone was seized and it contained evidence she had enjoyed holidays abroad and caravan holidays financed by the proceeds of the fraudulent transactions. Following her arrest she confessed to her husband Lawrence that she was responsible.’
At Bolton Crown Court, Bennett from Crossdale Road, Hindley Green, near Wigan admitted fraud relating to a total of £163,111.35 and was jailed for 18 months
Bennett’s successor discovered suspicious transaction dating back 13 years. Pictured: Patricia with husband Lawrence
Bennett was was rumbled after Facebook boasts about her trips
Bennett also posted images of a bar she and her unsuspecting husband Lawrence (both pictured) erected at the rear of her home they called ‘Lorenzos’
In mitigation defence counsel Miss Niamh McGinty said her client was in poor health and added: ‘She wants to express an unreserved apology to Mr Whitehead and the other members of the company for what she did.
‘She is deeply ashamed of her actions, carries the guilt with her and she recognises she has brought shame on her family.
‘She hasn’t lived a particularly lavish lifestyle. The initial motivation for the fraud was her strained financial circumstances due to her husband’s ill health. But when it failed to get noticed, she became blind to her offending and carried on so she could pay the bills and keep up appearances.’
Bennett now faces a Proceeds of Crime hearing.
Sentencing Judge Martin Walsh told her: ‘This case a is a tragedy not only for you and your family but also for the victims of your sustained dishonesty.
‘You were entrusted to deal with the financial affairs of this small family business yet you were responsible for the fraudulent diversion of funds into your own bank account on a regular basis.
‘The fact the transactions were relatively modest in size would have gone some way towards ensuring you were not detected at an earlier date.
‘I recognise the deep sense of hardship prison will cause to you and your family – but this was deliberate dishonesty over a protracted period of time. And there was a deep sense of betrayal inflicted upon your former employer.’
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