Convicted murderer stole £17,000 from employer

Shared Earth in York participates in a rehabilitation scheme for former prisoners

A convicted murderer who was given a management role with an ethical trade shop to assist her rehabilitation has been jailed for stealing £17,000 from the business.

Alison Ramsay, 59, was nearing the end of her sentence at a women's prison near York when she was given a role at Shared Earth as part of an offender programme.

York Crown Court heard the former nurse took money from the store, located close to York Minster, between 2019 and 2022 while on parole.

On Tuesday, Ramsay was jailed for 20 months after admitting theft.

Ramsay, of no fixed address, was jailed for life in 2001 for murdering an elderly woman by giving her a sedative which hadn’t been prescribed, the Yorkshire Post reported.

Jeremy Piercy, who founded the Shared Earth business in 1986, told the BBC she had "wasted an opportunity to turn her life around".

Speaking after the sentencing, he said: "Obviously it's very disappointing when a manager lets you down and you've been deceived.

"But Alison Ramsay let herself down too."

'Very silly'

He continued: "We lost money, but we are free - she's not free, she's in prison.

"What she did was really very, very silly."

Ramsay was an inmate at HMP Askham Grange, with Shared Earth considering her "low risk" at the time as she had not previously committed financial crime.

The company said it planned to continue taking part in rehabilitation schemes.

"It's not only good for the prisoners, but good for the community," Mr Piercy said.

"We take on people nearing the end of their sentence."

Ramsay had already been recalled to prison after the thefts were discovered under the conditions of her licence.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].