Ex-finance director fleeces Wolverhampton firm of almost £400,000 leaving bosses devastated
Bosses at a Wolverhampton firm which was swindled out of nearly £400,000 by its financial director have spoken of their devastation after she was allowed to walk free from court.
Patricia Dowdeswell started working for electrical contracting business Chancery Contracts when it formed in 1992, having been a long-time friend of Brian Lewis who co-launched the business.
The 76-year-old was both the firm's financial director and company secretary.
However, it was after she resigned in December 2021 that staff noticed discrepancies in the firm's accounts and found that she had been siphoning off money to an account in her name over a five-year period.
Dowdeswell, of Coalway Road, Wolverhampton, later pleaded guilty to abusing her position to defraud the firm of £393,632.58 and was recently sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
