Sunderland school to receive £75,000 after employee's fraud

Joanne Anderson was handed a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years

A woman who stole thousands of pounds from a Sunderland school has been ordered to pay some of the money back.

Joanne Anderson worked for about 20 years at Fulwell Junior School, where she was responsible for managing the financial budget.

But in 2023 she admitted defrauding her employer and she was handed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Now a judge has told Anderson she must pay back almost £75,000.

Discrepancies

Anderson, 52, of Summerhill, in Sunderland, forged the signatures of senior staff on at least 409 cheques, which were made payable to herself.

The court heard that between 2017 and 2021, she had defrauded the school of almost £120,000.

However, an auditor noticed a discrepancy in the transactions, and officers from Northumbria Police began an investigation.

After the sentencing, financial investigators compiled records of Anderson's earnings from crime and her current assets.

On February 16, she appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where a judge granted a confiscation order worth £41,474 to retrieve money taken through her fraudulent activity.

A further £33,315 had already been recovered from Anderson's pension.

'Repairing the damage'

Detective Inspector Phil Thoburn, of Northumbria Police, said: "In this case, Anderson took advantage of being a trusted member of staff and defrauded her employer out of almost £120,000.

"However, she now has a criminal record, is serving a suspended sentence, and thanks to the Proceeds of Crime Act, will pay back a significant amount of her ill-gotten gains.

"The community which the school serves deserves to see action like this being taken.

"The full amount of the order will be returned to Fulwell Junior School and will hopefully go a long way to repairing the damage caused."