Woman's £8k theft from charity 'a betrayal'

Georgina Mary Thompson, 40, was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for a year

A woman stole almost £8,000 from a charity she worked for, a court has heard.

Georgina Mary Thompson was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, a 24-month supervision order and ordered to pay compensation of £3,600 after admitting charges of fraud by abuse of position and theft from the person of another.

Plymouth Magistrates' Court heard the 40-year-old took £7,877.87 from Friends and Families, which helps families with disabled children, while she worked for the charity from November 2021 to November 2023. She told her police interview she was a struggling single mum.

The Plymouth-based charity said her "despicable crime" had been a "betrayal of the vulnerable families".

Devon and Cornwall Police said Thompson, who lived in Saltash, began working for the charity as an office co-ordinator on a temporary agency contract.

She was later given the permanent role of office and systems co-ordinator, which tasked her with looking after HR, the ordering of office supplies, data input and booking activities for families.

'Sorry and embarrassed'

An investigation conducted after Thompson resigned from the charity revealed at least 30 fraudulent transactions carried out by her.

The force said Thompson claimed reimbursement for bookings and supplied an invoice from the company, even though no booking had been made or paid for.

When she was arrested, Thompson said she had sold a company laptop - which was later recovered along with office keys and a mobile phone - because she needed the money.

"In interview, Thompson admitted taking the money and selling the laptop, adding that she was sorry and embarrassed for her actions and only carried out the offending as she was a single mum struggling to get by," police said.

Kay O'Shaughnessy, chairwoman of Friends and Families' trustees, said the charity had fully reviewed its systems to prevent similar incidents in the future.

"We feel the actions of the offender are a betrayal of the vulnerable families we work with," Ms O'Shaughnessy said.

"It is a relief to us that despite this despicable crime, we have been able to continue to support our families throughout this time."