No jail for Matfield postmistress who 'fiddled books' after judge takes pity
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by Keith Hunt
A sub-postmistress who "fiddled the books" to the tune of more
than £34,000 has been spared a jail sentence after a judge said she
was "far from a thief".
Pauline Thomson admitted three charges of false accounting at
the post office in Matfield, near Tunbridge Wells, between April
2007 and February 2008.
Prosecutor Lawrence Henderson said the cash was lost to Royal
Mail but it was accepted the 60-year-old married mother did not
benefit.
She took over the post office in September 2004 and there was no
audit until September 2008. Concern was raised early on and the
loss of £34,331 was found.
Thompson had not indicated she was having any difficulty with
the computer system, Mr Henderson told Maidstone Crown Court.
When interviewed, she said she had been having problems
balancing the figures. She employed no staff and no one had access
to cash or stock.
Thomson had considerable debts of almost £50,000. She said she
made the loss and did not know how to deal with it.
Mr Henderson applied for compensation order in the missing
sum.
John Fitzgerald, defending, told Judge Philip St John-Stevens he
hoped he would have "a little sympathy" about how the offences were
committed. "She didn’t hide she had fiddled the books," he
said.
The judge said if Thomson had been convicted of theft there
would have been an inevitable prison sentence.
"I do accept your account," he told her. "You put your head in
the sand and hoped the computer would sort out the finances you
had, perhaps, entered incorrectly."
Recognising Thomson had been "in a dark place", he ordered her
to complete 120 hours unpaid work.
"You feel dreadful you have let the village down," he said. "The
seriousness of the offence can be met by a community order."
The judge added he would not make a compensation order because
of Thomson’s financial situation.
Friday, March 19 2010
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