Jail delay for thief so she can warn children

A senior accountant at Walsall Council who stole nearly £25,000 from the authority has had her jail sentence delayed so she can admit to her young children that she is going to prison.

Judge John Wait said it was appalling that Sandra Hook, who worked in youth services, had not told her two children she was inevitably going to be locked up after forging signatures on invoices.

He adjourned the case until tomorrow so the six and 10-year-olds would not have to hear of her sentence from school pals or in the media.

Devout Christian Hook, aged 46, authorised fraudulent payments and cash invoices for council-funded projects which she forged signatures on.

She has never repaid any of the £24,750 she stole. Prosecutors say some of the money was spent on a holiday, but it was not clear where the rest went.

Hook, of Fairburn Crescent, Pelsall, admitted the theft which ran between August 2008 and July 2010.

She was only caught when an email was sent to a project manager saying that cheques were awaiting his collection. He had no knowledge of the cheques and raised the alarm.

Hook, a former volunteer at the Black Country Living Museum, wept yesterday as Judge Wait said she would be jailed. But he adjourned the case to so she could talk to her children and finalise care arrangements.

Judge Wait said the prospect of Hook's children learning about the case from the media or from classmates was "appalling".

He said: "She can't just say she's ended her responsibilities as a mother now.

"You now have to face up to what you've done. It's a matter of common humanity that your children should be told by you and your husband. It won't be pleasant, but it's something they need to know."