Gloucester accountant jailed for fraud worth almost £150,000

Sophie Workman said she was being coerced into defrauding her clients by her partner

An accountant who cheated three of her clients out of a total of almost £150,000 has been jailed for two years and four months.

Sophie Workman, 32, committed "calculated and persistent fraud" between April 2016 and June 2017.

She was jailed at Gloucestershire Crown Court after admitting five offences of fraud by abuse of position.

Workman, of Abbeydale, Gloucester, claimed she was being coerced by an abusive partner.

Netball South West (NSW), which manages and develops the sport in the region, lost £89,142.93 because of Workman's actions, the court heard.

Business consultants Gilly Salter Consultancy was defrauded of £31,563.00, while management consultants PMP Genesis lost £26,448.90.

The multiple fraudulent payments totalled £147,154.83.

'I want list'

Workman set up 40 different bank accounts under various names, and used a series of fake or duplicated invoices to siphon off her victims' cash.

The accounts were used to deposit the proceeds of over 100 fraudulent transactions, with much of the cash withdrawn in the Midlands area.

The victims became suspicious when clients contacted them to complain invoices had not been paid, despite the cash leaving their accounts, prompting police to investigate Workman.

Investigators found a note among Workman's belongings headed "I want list".

It read: "I want to make lots of money quickly. I want to be clear of my debts. I want to buy my own house."

Prosecutor Jack Barry said: "It seems pretty clear what the intentions are."

In a victim statement Gilly Salter said she was "devastated" when she learned Workman had been stealing from her company while maintaining "a facade of being a trustworthy employee".

Karen Jones, chair of NSW, said the loss had "massively" affected the organisation's financial stability.

'Calculated and persistent'

Defending Workman, Gudrun Young KC described her as "a vulnerable and damaged woman who seems to be attracted to abusive men".

"She would not have got involved in the fraudulent offences had she not got involved with this man, whose identity has never been disclosed for fear of reprisals," Ms Young said.

She said Workman's male partner had given her a black eye when she tried to stop the offending.

Judge Ian Lawrie told her "it is a calculated and persistent fraud knowingly committed in conjunction with others", as he passed sentence.

"You exercised poor judgement when you formed a close emotional relationship with a unnamed male," he said.

"Whatever might have started the offending, you accept you gave every collaborative support to the fraudulent acquisition of money from your victims."

Workman will face a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act at a later date.

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