Suspended sentence for woman who defrauded £60k from GP surgery

Seainin Genevieve Cutter worked as a temporary reception manager at Roe Family Medical Practice in Limavady

A woman who defrauded the doctor's surgery where she worked out of more than £60,000 to fund a gambling addiction has been handed a suspended sentence.

Seainin Genevieve Cutter, 27, from Harvest Meadows, Greysteel, County Londonderry, previously admitted 16 offences, including fraud by abuse of position, fraud by false representation and forgery.

The offences were committed while Cutter was a temporary reception manager at Roe Family Medical Practice in Limavady.

Judge Philip Gilpin handed Cutter a 20-month sentence, which he suspended for three years after "careful consideration".

The court heard offences took place between February and May 2023, Cutter had started working at the practice in January of that year.

Judge Gilpin outlined how Cutter changed bank details on invoices, directing payments to her bank account and had lodged inflated time sheets.

Those redirected payments included multiple £13,000 payments the practice had to pay in rent, payments to a locum doctor, payments for renting fish and an aquarium, as well as bills for stationery and printing equipment.

Cutter created fake email addresses and forged doctors' signatures in a cover up effort, the judge said.

'One big win'

Judge Gilpin said the frauds amounting to £63,120 led to two of the practices four doctors resigning, with another delayed his retirement.

The judge revealed Cutter's offending was uncovered when one of the practice partners discovered "a number of disturbing discrepancies in the funds of the practice".

He said it was clear from court reports that the mother-of-three had developed a gambling addiction due to her involvement with a previous partner.

Court heard in one of the reports, Cutter claimed she had hoped "one big win" would allow her to pay back the stolen money.

In addition to the suspended jail sentence, Judge Gilpin also imposed a compensation order of £15,000, payable in the next three years.

"I have absolutely no doubt in this case that your offending has caused significant harm and it has caused harm to a great many people," he told her.

'Placed vulnerable persons at risk'

Speaking following sentencing, PSNI Det Insp Lavery said the case "demonstrates how positions of trust can be abused".

"Cutter stole more than £60,000 from her employer, a GP practice that serves the people of Limavady," the senior officer added.

"This loss has not only had an impact on the individual GP's but additionally the medical service they provide and could have placed vulnerable and unwell persons at risk."