Ex-Derbyshire County Council worker stole children's charity vouchers

Gemma and Jamie King were sentenced at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday

A woman who claimed £90,000 worth of vouchers for a charity scheme to help children living in poverty has been sentenced.

Gemma King was a family support worker with Derbyshire County Council when she applied for the funds over nine months from November 2018.

She pleaded guilty to money laundering and fraud by abuse of position.

The 39-year-old, of Braybrook Street in Hammersmith, was given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years.

She was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and given a three-month curfew during a sentencing hearing at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday.

Her ex-husband Jamie King, also 39 and of Agnes Road in Acton, pleaded guilty to one count of concealing criminal property, and was given an 18-month sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Stealing from children

Derbyshire Police said Ms King claimed for the vouchers through the BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme "under the guise of legitimate funding requests" through her work as a family support worker and carried on claiming even when on sick leave.

She used the funds to buy white goods and other items that officers recovered during a raid on her previous home in Alfreton, Derbyshire, while she also sold some vouchers online and some money was put in Mr King's account.

Det Con Calla Millwaters said Ms King was "effectively stealing from children and families who she was supposed to be helping".

"This was a complex and long-running investigation which concerned a hugely emotive area," she said.

"I would like to thank all the parties involved in this case, who between them uncovered the truth about these frauds and in doing so paved the way for new procedures to be implemented between local authorities and third-party organisations which will prevent the same thing from happening in the future."