Jailed: Book-keeper who conned employer out of £82k

Angela Savage job was to settle the bills of Hole in the Wall and Fabric Direct, two Walsall-based privately owned fabric companies with a total of 33 staff.

The married mother of an 11-year-old girl encouraged the boss to stop making payments by cheque - which he could keep track of - and start online banking, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

He agreed to the switch and was so impressed by her apparent commitment to her work that she was paid bonuses and left in sole control of the new system, said Mr Steven Bailey, prosecuting, who explained: "He trusted her."

Savage repaid that faith in her by seizing the opportunity to set up a fake company called UK Food and a false account trail that allowed bogus payments to be made to it by Hole in the Wall and Direct Fabric through electronic transfers.

The cash was then funnelled into the joint account she shared with her husband, who was not involved in the scam, the court was told.

Savage pocketed a total of £63,700 in this way across two years three months, but still wanted more despite £2,500-a-month worth of pay for her and her husband going into their bank account.

She also plundered the firms' petty cash to the tune of almost £19,000 over the same period and covered this up by fiddling the books, revealed the prosecutor.

The boss noticed apparent discrepancies in the company accounts in December last year, two years after the switch to online banking.

Mr Bailey said: "He asked the defendant to sort it out and left it to her because he was busy."

Savage continued to 'fob' him off until March 17 when he returned from a holiday to discover that nothing had been done and made arrangements to call in an accountant to check the books.

This development prompted the defendant to go off sick and resign with immediate effect three days later.

Savage, of Daffodil Place, Walsall was arrested in May. She claimed to have been deeply in debt and spent the money on holidays and everyday living expenses.

Her boss told police he would never be able to trust anybody again.

Mr Lewis Perry, defending, said: "She realises the devastating impact on her former employer and his companies."

Savage, of Daffodil Place, Walsall and of previous good character, admitted fraud and theft and was jailed by Judge Martin Walsh.

He told her: "This was a significant breach of trust. The integrity of this work was essential to the owner."

Officials from Hole in the Wall and Direct Fabric declined to comment after the case.