← Back to News
Jail for trusted manager who stole from agency at rate of £40,000 a year for decade
Original Author: Ben Salisbury
Angela Clift, an employee of Keith Pattinson estate agents in Newcastle, has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison for stealing almost £400,000 from her employers.
She admitted theft at Newcastle Crown Court. Jailing her, Judge Tim Gittins said: “The scale of offending is breathtaking, it was vast.”
Clift, 48, of West Denton, was a trusted manager who was highly respected by her bosses. She worked as a rental manager when she began to divert large amounts of money to her own account to fund a lavish lifestyle. The deception lasted for over ten years.
The court heard that colleagues became suspicious when a pair of designer sunglasses worth £500 were delivered to her at work.
When police visited her home they found a number of expensive handbags, clothes, shoes and a VW Tiguan. An Audi A3 was taken from her partner’s home.
Clift worked for the company for about 15 years. Her role was to collect rent and pass on the proceeds to landlords, less the estate agent’s commission, but instead she stole an average of £40,000 a year for ten years.
The deception was uncovered by the finance director, Susan Moore, who worked closely with Clift when she became suspicious last year. She conducted an investigation and found Clift had been banking funds meant for her employer into her own account.
She tried to say it was a one-off incident at first and then claimed it was because her partner had a gambling habit. It was subsequently discovered that between 2005 and 2015 she stole £397,896.
At sentencing Caroline Pattinson, managing director at the estate agent, said in a witness impact statement: “The theft by Angela has had a huge impact on us.
“A few weeks prior to the theft being discovered we presented Angela with a bottle of champagne and a bunch of flowers as a gesture of thanks for 15 years of continuous service.
“At the time of her dismissal Angela was one of our longest serving and most trusted employees. The discovery that she had spent the vast majority of that time stealing funds from the company came as a huge shock and also then brought into question the trust that we place with all members of staff.
“As a company we consider ourselves a family and she was considered a close member of that family.
“In stealing from the company, Angela potentially put the jobs of 180 members of staff at risk.
“To have been deceived by a close colleague on such a scale over such a period of time has been devastating to everyone who worked with her. She was incredibly trusted and completely abused that trust.”
Judge Tim Gittins added: “The effect on the company was potentially devastating and I’ve no doubt it has affected the ability of the company to invest and expand in these difficult times.”
Shaun Routledge, defending Clift, said: “Miss Pattinson doesn’t think there is any remorse but the remorse is heartfelt and she is extremely embarrassed and sorry about what she did.”
More here
