Headteacher in £7,000 fraud avoids jail

A headteacher who raided more than £7,000 worth of funds set aside for children at a West Midland school has been spared a jail term.

Ann Regan bought pirate-themed fancy dress items for her stepdaughter's hen party with some of the cash taken from Hamstead Infants School, Great Barr, between July 2009 and June 2010. She was given a 10-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday that as part of her role as headteacher, Regan was allowed to order items on behalf of the school.

In a number of transactions, she visited websites to order items and printed off web pages that detailed the cost of what she said she had 'ordered' so she could claim the money back.

However, prosecutor Mr Julian Elcock told the court that the orders never actually processed past the "proceed to checkout stage" on the websites and that the goods never arrived.

In one transaction, Regan, aged 44, obtained money from a school fund allocated for activities, presents and Christmas and Easter treats for pupils.

Mr Elcock said the defendant, of Moorfield Drive, Sutton Coldfield, had submitted an invoice to the school so she could receive payment for "party items" that were for her stepdaughter's hen party.

Regan, a headteacher at the school since 2005, was rumbled when another teacher noticed that cameras claimed to have been bought by Regan could not be found in school. An internal audit took place in July last year and in August Regan wrote a letter of resignation in which she admitted her crime.

A subsequent investigation revealed she had illegally obtained £7,238.

Mr Nicholas Berry, for Regan, said his client started making the 'orders' after getting into difficulty with loan and credit card repayments. He said she had paid back in the region of £5,000.

Judge John Wait said Regan, who earlier pleaded guilty to fraud, had suffered "significant" punishment.

Regan must carry out 240 hours unpaid work and repay her remaining debt to the school as well as £1,200 court costs.