Treasurer gambled away hospice donations

The defendant was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday

A hospice treasurer had wished the charity she defrauded “a peaceful Christmas” as she attempted to cover up stealing thousands of pounds.

Nottinghamshire Police said Julia Scotney diverted cash raised for the Edwinstowe Hospice Support Group into her own accounts, before lying to colleagues.

The 64-year-old, of Maythorn Grove in Edwinstowe, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and false accounting.

She was handed a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years, following a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

Lies and promises

Police said about £6,500 that had been raised to support the John Eastwood Hospice in Sutton-in-Ashfield went missing between February 2020 and January 2022, with discrepancies not noticed "due to the treasurer’s deception".

The money was used to fund the defendant's gambling, with a fake bank statement created to try and hide the fraud.

Scotney then tried to avoid attempts by colleagues to contact her over their suspicions, before police began their investigation.

She even claimed to have invested the cash through her business account and promised to transfer it back.

Entrusted

She had contacted the charity chairperson on 24 December 2021 to say the money had been sent and wished them “a peaceful Christmas".

Det Sgt Marc Lancaster, from Nottinghamshire Police, said Scotney repeatedly diverted "much-needed funds away from the charity and into her own pockets instead".

"[She] was entrusted to help ensure the money donated to this charity made its way to its intended target, but instead chose to abuse her position," he said.

"She will have appreciated how much pain her actions would cause, but she chose to do it anyway."