Megan, 53, from Hackney, London, was wary about owning a dog, but her children, Eliza, now 18, and George, 15, had always longed for one.
25.10.2022 - 23:39 / dailyrecord.co.uk
A "cold and calculating" mum stole over £1.3 million from a small family business to buy expensive holidays, fancy cars and designer clothes. Alison Smith carried out the "devastating" nine-year fraud while working at Welsh firm Eiran Civil Engineering, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
Roger Griffiths, prosecuting, said the 42-year-old would cause division and hostility within the family who own the Blaenavon-based company so that her scam would go undetected. Smith was employed as the agency's finance manager from June 2012 and until her resignation in January this year.
During this time, she made hundreds of fraudulent payments to fund her "lavish" lifestyle by duplicating supplier invoices and changing the bank details to her own. After she left the company, another employee Anita Lane set up a meeting with accountants to review the firm's end-of-month finances. "She normally wouldn't have been involved in that because Alison Smith would," said Mr Griffiths.
In the meeting they discussed a payment to what was purportedly the bank account for Oil 4 Wales. Part of the £4,920 invoice was recorded as outstanding but when Eiran contacted the supplier, it was not aware of the payment.
"It became apparent the name Oil 4 Wales had been inputted manually by the person making this transaction," said Mr Griffiths. "In fact the beneficiary was not Oil 4 Wales. It was Alison Smith."
Analysis of company accounts showed Smith had stolen £1,315,143 across nine years. Her method involved duplicating invoices in the name of a legitimate supplier but changing the bank details so she could pay herself.
Smith had a salary of £32,000 a year at the time she left the company. The court heard colleagues had noticed her penchant for "expensive
Megan, 53, from Hackney, London, was wary about owning a dog, but her children, Eliza, now 18, and George, 15, had always longed for one.
Families across Scotland are being urged to make sure they do not miss out on a double December Bridging Payment of £260. The one-off payment will be made ahead of the Christmas holidays to the families of children registered to receive Free School Meals on the basis of low income.
A mechanic who won over £100m on the lottery after an eerie windfall prediction has admitted that his new lavish lifestyle bores him. Neil Trotter won the Euromillions prize of £107.9m back in 2014 - but was initially warned by the Camelot group not to spend it all straight away.
A drug boss who made almost £750,000 from his crimes and lived a lavish lifestyle with his partner is set to have his designer clothes collection auctioned off. Jonathan Walsh, 34, ran a gigantic drugs trafficking operation from Greater Manchester to Nottinghamshire peddling cannabis and amphetamine, reports Manchester Evening News.
Police have arrested a 25-year-old man accused of attacking and beating a political canvasser in the city of Hialeah, Florida.
EXCLUSIVE: Austin Crute (Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.) has been tapped to star alongside Lucy Boynton and Justin H. Min in the romance The Greatest Hits, which Ned Benson (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) is directing for Searchlight Pictures from his own script.
Zara Tindall has been compared to her mum, Princess Anne, after a recent video with fashion brand Musto.The royal modelled some clothes for Musto’s fall 2022 collection as she walked through the countryside near her Gatcombe Park home in Gloucestershire. In the 2-minute video, the 41 year old said that her mother is her “role model”, and she too hopes to leave a legacy as stellar as Princess Anne’s.
Council bosses are to use nearly £2 million of government cash to pay for food vouchers during school holidays.
It’s been both a blessing and a curse for the US-born Wildlife Warrior, who juggled running the commercial enterprise with raising two children, and a huge staff and hundreds of animals under her care.
ITVX and Viaplay four-partner Litvinenko, which will see David Tennant playing the doomed Russian dissident, has sold into 80 territories ahead of its launch. AMC+ and Sundance Now have taken rights in the U.S., while Prime Video bagged Canada from distributor ITV Studios.
EXCLUSIVE: Banijay UK CEO Patrick Holland is focusing on M&A and talent, and is rewarding high-performing labels with extra investment as he enters his first Mipcom Cannes in the new role.
EXCLUSIVE: Banijay has bought Chloe producer Mam Tor Productions, the French powerhouse’s first UK buy since 2020’s Endemol Shine Group (ESG) acquisition.
She enjoyed a flash SUV car, expensive hair extensions and VIP concert tickets - all while documenting her lavish lifestyle on Instagram. But Laura Howarth stole £100,000 from her employer to be able to fund it.
Manchester City footballer Bernardo Silva has welcomed a “new family member” with his girlfriend Ines Degener Tomaz.
Dane Partridge, an Idaho father and U.S. Army veteran, died this week while "fighting for freedom in Ukraine," his family announced. His father, Dennis Partridge, wrote on Facebook on Saturday that his son was in a coma after being critically injured by a Russian tank blast. Dane Partridge died while fighting in Ukraine when he was struck by a Russian tank round, his family said. (Facebook/Honoring Dane Partridge) Partridge was being treated at Kyiv military hospital and was taken off life support on Tuesday, his family announced. "He was a fine soldier who fought with valor and bravery on the battlefield," his family wrote on Facebook.
A Florida man is charged with kidnapping after he stole a truck with two young children inside, authorities said Monday. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan Pazmino Alvarez was flagged down in Tampa Monday evening by a man who said his truck had just been stolen with his two children – ages 4 and 8 – inside. Bodycam footage showing the arrest of Kevin Smith (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office) Deputy Alvarez pursued the allegedly stolen 2011 white Chevrolet Silverado and conducted a traffic stop "within just a few minutes," the sheriff’s deputy said in a press release. The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as 37-year-old Kevin Smith. A video of his arrest shows Smith appearing hesitant to get out of the truck, fearing that the arresting deputy would supposedly punch him.The children can be heard telling the deputy that Smith is not their father. A mugshot of Kevin Smith.