Convicted fraudster resumes accountancy business (From The Northern Echo)
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Convicted fraudster resumes accountancy business
7:00am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News
Exclusive By Andy Walker, Chief Reporter (Darlington)
BACK AT WORK: Karen Iley
A CONVICTED fraudster who stole more than £30,000 from a charity for the blind has resumed her accountancy business after being released from prison, The Northern Echo can reveal.
Karen Iley, from Darlington, was jailed for a year in 2008 after stealing from the Darlington and District Talking Newspaper, while working as its volunteer treasurer.
She also stole more than £1,500 from a business referral organisation, as well as dishonestly making a false representation to make a gain of £2,056 by the fraudulent use of a cheque.
Having served her sentence, she is free to run her company, Iley Associates, from her offices in the town's Garden Street.
There is no suggestion she is breaking the law now and no order was made banning her from practising as an accountant when she was sentenced.
The judge at Teesside Crown Court, in June 2008, Recorder Peter Johnson, described her behaviour as "pilfering on a large scale" and "a blizzard of dishonest acts", after hearing how she gave £20,000 of the charity's funds to her partner, so he could buy a new car.
When approached, Iley said she had moved on with her life and accused , accusing The Northern Echo of trying to "drag up the past" in an effort to sell newspapers.
Ms Iley, who is in her 50s, also appeared to dispute the circumstances of her conviction, but was unwilling to expand.
She declined to offer reassurance to her current clients when asked, saying: "The only people I care about are the people who did not judge me."
Industry body the Institute of Chartered Accountants regulates the practice of its members, but it is understood that Iley does not claim membership of the organisation.
Her company is registered with Companies House as Iley Enterprises Limited, which her website says incorporates Iley Associates.
Companies House's website lists the nature of Iley Enterprises' business as 'computer facilities management', rather than accounting.
Among the services offered by Iley, according to her website, are book-keeping, accounts and tax returns.
The website claims: "A comment that has been made over and over again by people who have met Karen is that she is not a typical accountant. She is lively, outgoing, considerate and has the distinct knack of putting you at your ease."
A spokeswoman for the talking newspaper, which records stories from The Northern Echo onto CDs, for the benefit of visually-impaired people, said the organisation did not wish to comment until after its next committee meeting in January.
Comments are closed on this article.
Comments (59)
9:40am Wed 2 Jan 13
hottopic says...
10:10am Wed 2 Jan 13
Idontknowaboutyoubut says...
10:23am Wed 2 Jan 13
Hunty1 says...
11:17am Wed 2 Jan 13
stevegg says...
11:28am Wed 2 Jan 13
loan_star says...
12:25pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Woodenhead says...
12:26pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Townlad says...
12:59pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Woodenhead says...
1:01pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Homshaw1 says...
Equally she needs to get on with her life.
It might have been advisable to think about a career change while inside
1:09pm Wed 2 Jan 13
battboy77 says...
1:26pm Wed 2 Jan 13
hottopic says...
2:14pm Wed 2 Jan 13
aycliffemum4 says...
Why can you not leave the past in the past. HAVE YOU NOTHING BETTER TO DO........ Shoud be reporting on NEW news not chasing histroy and gossip. How you won north east reporter of the year is beond me. No real heart to this story. No reporting needed just a garden wall and a hairnet!!!!!!!! Back street gossip and 'have you heard what soan so is doing!!!!!!! Who here is really getting money for doing no work!!!!!!!!!!!!!,,,
,,,NOW there's a story.
2:15pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Smuggler says...
Does it involve other people money?
2:18pm Wed 2 Jan 13
battboy77 says...
2:25pm Wed 2 Jan 13
aycliffemum4 says...
You are just being a pratt!
Grow up!this is about poor reporting skills and lack of journalism...... Not my typing skills.
2:28pm Wed 2 Jan 13
battboy77 says...
2:40pm Wed 2 Jan 13
aycliffemum4 says...
My comments about you being a pratt are just confirmed by you comments.
2:54pm Wed 2 Jan 13
battboy77 says...
Yes i do work on a computor......you need to work on getting a job!!!
3:41pm Wed 2 Jan 13
giggitty says...
I totally agree that this sort of info should be reported upon, so the law abiding among us can make informed decisions. This country panders to the perpetrator and ignores the victims (potential or not!)
There maybe those out there who would still use her financial services. Obviously after she's seen the light and turned over a new leaf. But i certainly won’t put it to the test!
Doesn’t the nature of her registered business ring any alarm bells? There maybe a perfectly plausible reason, but alarm bells ring loud and clear to me, so I’ll be giving her a wide birth. Not that i have any money to warrant an accountant!
5:53pm Wed 2 Jan 13
mark.wilkinson says...
6:32pm Wed 2 Jan 13
Townlad says...
7:18pm Wed 2 Jan 13
aycliffemum4 says...
8:14pm Wed 2 Jan 13
victorjames says...
8:25pm Wed 2 Jan 13
fratia says...
l Advisors are as crooked as the day is long. You do not go to jail if you are a law abiding citizen.
8:40pm Wed 2 Jan 13
victorjames says...
12:25am Thu 3 Jan 13
Davy Crocket says...
5:02am Thu 3 Jan 13
snudge says...
12:21pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Homshaw1 says...
You can have an opinion on whether she should be working as an accountant and this story lets you judge for yourself whether you want to be a client
5:04pm Thu 3 Jan 13
victorjames says...
6:44pm Thu 3 Jan 13
hottopic says...
Just pre-judgemental journalists and people..... here's a question.... if someone has been banned for drink driving or for repeated speeding would you think the same or less of them, than someone who had knocked someone over and killed them whilst dunk or speeding, in practicality there is very little differnce, just luck or unluckiness of circumstances one might say, bearing that in mind would you treat both the same after they have served a ban/scentence? Scocieties perception is a strange thing, once you have done wrong and learnt from mistakes, maybe these reformed people best in place to comment or criticise.
I imagine most people commenting are model citizens, but almost no-body is squekey clean, as proven by the MP expenses.
Be careful who you judge so easily, it's so easy to end up on the wrong side of the law... intentionally or not. After all weren't most MP's following the crowd... one might say there peers? Public perception can change in a second... look at Saville yet Young Girl was a hit in the 70's describing something which is disgusting in our modern society. I am not saying anyones behaviour is acceptable... especially waht has come to forth about Saville but Societies views changes and what was acceptable or so unacceptable it wasn;t talked about then is unacceptable and always reported now.
I talked alot there, hope none of it is taken the wrong way, just trying to be objective to an extent.
7:29pm Thu 3 Jan 13
victorjames says...
7:40pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Duke of Aycliffe says...
If people don't like her or trust her, then use a different accountant. It's not rocket science. Anyway, there's plenty of untrustworthy people in the govt & other positions of power in this country, & they get away with it.
8:01pm Thu 3 Jan 13
victorjames says...
6:55am Fri 4 Jan 13
boxtie says...
9:07am Fri 4 Jan 13
johnny_p says...
Just as you might not want a former sex offender looking after your children...
9:40am Fri 4 Jan 13
Woodenhead says...
3:13pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Porca miseria says...
5:49pm Fri 4 Jan 13
kirblebarblebumblebee says...
This type of reporting by The Northern Echo is poor and cheap
8:39pm Fri 4 Jan 13
angel*pie says...
Maybe I could apply for your job . At least I know the meaning of news!!
9:39pm Fri 4 Jan 13
lingling29 says...
what would concern me though is, would her work be accepted by the tax office ?
11:29pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Dean M says...
5:16pm Sat 5 Jan 13
greenfinger says...
6:33pm Sat 5 Jan 13
tomtopper says...
As far as I can recall no one had a gun to this lady's head when she raped the charities funds and thus she should suffer continual exposure for her crime... Well done Northern Echo
7:44pm Sat 5 Jan 13
hottopic says...
8:31pm Sat 5 Jan 13
victorjames says...
8:58pm Sat 5 Jan 13
Homshaw1 says...
Is there anyone who can honestly say they would not want to know?
11:12pm Sat 5 Jan 13
diga says...
11:42am Sun 6 Jan 13
tomtopper says...
The point I was making was to do with the whole ethos of those who commit prisonable crimes.. To put oneself in the same arena surrounded by the same type of people directly upon release and expect one's history to be hidden is almost an act of deception.. After all, no-one is lying here.. Only the truth is being told... Why withhold the truth?
It is also an insult to those accountants who have committed no crime and been faultless in their work to have this woman judged as ethically and morally equal as they are.. To withhold the history of anyone or anything is a deception, simple as that.. And that's as real and as relevant as you could get..
10:01pm Sun 6 Jan 13
boxtie says...
10:44pm Sun 6 Jan 13
mrvunderbar says...
11:33pm Sun 6 Jan 13
boxtie says...
boxtie wrote:
This is, in my view a cheap shot. At the time of her conviction she was exposed in the media etc...justice was served and she has carried out her part of that process....time in a cell, and all of the public shame attached. The Echo clearly states that by re-engaging with her previous line of work, she has not and is not doing anything wrong.....so, why bring it all back ? Cheap Shot. Case closed.
If I was looking for an accountant I'd want to know about it.
Is there anyone who can honestly say they would not want to know?
Well of course you would like to know, I assume that within your application process you ASK the relevant question?
11:37pm Sun 6 Jan 13
boxtie says...
mption, etc....forget how her relatives feel about this being dragged up again...........i get it now......prevent her from working at all, stop her from securing any benefits....perhaps the lady will become ill.....or worse.....is that what you imbeciles want?
1:04pm Mon 7 Jan 13
tomtopper says...
1:15pm Mon 7 Jan 13
tomtopper says...
Do you want people to lie and say she has never been in prison? If she followed another career path upon release their would be less inclination to do so..
She's brought it all on herself... And deserves every bit of ridicule for the misery she has caused..
If she was truly remorseful she would be working in another job and paying the charity back, whilst accepting the rightful scorn poured upon her..
Moral of the story? This is what happens when you rob people.. a stigma is rightly attached.. dont do it..
She's brought it all on herself
2:49pm Mon 7 Jan 13
boxtie says...
10:10am Tue 8 Jan 13
Lovemyself says...
10:30am Tue 8 Jan 13
jps101 says...
Time after time I read about similar cases where they've served their sentence and had a fine a fraction of the amount involved, and afterwards they come out of it all still having gained financially, crime isn't suppose to pay!
5:46pm Tue 8 Jan 13
chrisdoun says...
6:34pm Tue 8 Jan 13
dianemanson says...