'Brazen' Bishop Auckland Unison official jailed for £80k con

Tanya Tucker was sentenced to 28 months in jail at Durham Crown Court

A "brazen" union official who conned £80,000 from her branch and the NHS has been jailed for 28 months.

Tanya Tucker 57, forged signatures when claiming expenses for her own purchases while working for NHS commissioning and as a Unison branch secretary.

The ex-Durham county councillor, from Bishop Auckland, also illegally claimed from the NHS for union business.

Sentencing her at Durham Crown Court Judge James Adkins said it was "brazen, flagrant offending".

The former Bishop Auckland town councillor was found guilty of seven fraud charges.

The court heard the offences by Tucker - who also served on Bishop Auckland Town Council - covered a four-year period.

There was an impact on Unison as it was deprived of funds it could have used for the benefit of members, as well as reputational damage, Durham Crown Court was told.

The union said it will now try to "recover the stolen funds for our members in Durham."

'Abused position'

Ian West, prosecuting, said the offending took place over a long period, with deliberate planning and the exclusion of other union officials who could have oversight of what she was doing.

Nicholas Askins, mitigating, said Tucker was of previous good character, was the carer for her daughter and had helped people in her union role.

Durham Police said Tucker, of Walker Drive, claimed identical expenses from both organisations she worked for and often forged signatures of colleagues on cheques to herself to make them look plausible.

She spent the money on a car, restaurant meals, hotel stays, beauty treatments and her honeymoon, a force spokeswoman said.

Det Con Ali Blackett said: "Tucker not only abused her position of trust in both organisations but went to great lengths to hide her deceit, so it is satisfying to see justice served."

A Unison spokesperson said: "This was a significant theft not just from the NHS, but also from health workers in our union, many of whom are low-paid and struggling to get by.

"Members trusted the branch secretary with their money, and she let them down badly."