£195k theft revealed as worker holidayed in the Maldives

A fraudster took her family on a dream sunshine holiday on an Indian ocean island after her crime was uncovered by financial experts, furious former workmates revealed today.

Joanne Sheargold – who spent a total of four years fleecing Aldridge-based bedroom furniture manufacturer Portico Midland out of almost £195,000 – was holidaying in the Maldives while workers were so concerned about their futures that bosses sent out an official statement assuring them that their jobs were safe despite the massive theft.

The £25,000-a-year, three day a week 40-year-old accounts manager used her personal access card to electronically funnel cash out of company funds, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Sheargold, from Walstead Road, Delves, Walsall, who has an 11-year-old daughter, admitted committing fraud between April 23, 2006 and January 15, 2008 by abusing her position as accounts manager with Portico by falsely representing paym-ents to herself as legitimate.

She also pleaded guilty to both committing fraud on March 16, 2009 relating to payments to Fresh Space and a similar offence betw-een November 20, 2008 and February 11, 2010 in relation to payments to NGPO.

Sheargold was jailed for two years nine months by Judge John Warner who told her: "You were not a lady of good character because this was not the first time you had behaved dishonestly in the workplace."

Andy Gough, who runs the Northgate firm that employs 60, with his brother John said: "We were all shocked by the scale of the betrayal. She had always been involved on staff nights out and been friendly with all her colleagues. It hit them especially hard because she carried out this theft while smiling at them."

The firm had been launched just a year before Sheargold joined the staff in 2003. They had no idea that just months earlier she had admitted stealing over £14,000 from her former employer Morgan Devey Associates in Birmingham.

She then received a community punishment with 80 hours unpaid work.