A CROOKED administrator who stole more than £400,000 from the company she worked for was last night behind bars as she was branded a "cruel and manipulative" liar.

Helen Peverley, from Darlington, showed no emotion as she was jailed for plundering the coffers of Capita - a national firm dealing with teachers' pensions.

The scheming mother-of-two used the money to buy her family home outright - without her hard-working husband's knowledge - and decorate it lavishly.

Teesside Crown Court heard how she also splashed out on a £55,000 Audi Q5 and convinced husband Steven that she was doing well at work and getting good bonuses.

She continued her spending spree after her arrest - getting a £400 tattoo and paying for a family holiday where she was snapped enjoying herself in a hot-tub.

Peverley was jailed for two years and eight months, and was told by Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC: "It was calculated. You used seven different bank accounts."

After the case, Detective Constable Mick Trodden, of Darlington CID, described Peverley as one of the most deceitful criminals he has ever dealt with.

He said: "She is utterly remorseless. Despite what the judge was told about her being full of regret, she showed absolutely no emotion when she was interviewed.

"Her husband trusted her, and her colleagues and employers trusted her implicitly, and she has deceived everybody. Helen Peverley is the epitome of greed."

The court heard how Peverley had worked at the Darlington office of Capita as a pensions administrator in the bereavement section for eight years.

She regarded herself as the 'mother' of the team and would organise social events to win the trust of her colleagues - one of whom fell under suspicion.

An audit showed Peverley had been making "shadow" bereavement payments - duplicates of legitimate ones to claimants which went into her own accounts.

The system in place at Capita meant a second worker had to sign off the payment, and an unsuspecting one was manipulated by Peverley so she could carry out the fraud.

The colleague was suspended for six days, prosecutor Paul Cleasby said, which had a devastating effect on her, because she had been recently married, has two children and the family is reliant on her sole wage.

After Peverley's arrest and dismissal from her £700-a-month job, she claimed to be suffering from depression and needing her daughter to care for her.

The move meant she could pocket almost £1,500 in benefits, and after effectively forcing her husband to divorce her, she was also eligible for legal aid.

She had earlier confided in a friend that "things are going to get worse for Steven", and vowed that she would not pay for a solicitor and barrister because it would indicate she had money stashed away.

While she was defrauding Capita, she also stole her husband's identity to try to open accounts to launder the money - and now the 54-year-old window fitter struggles to obtain credit.

Peverley took an initial £19,000 to pay off debts, but told friends she found it was so easy and carried on for two years until her arrest in July last year.

Dan Cordey, mitigating, said: "It was not the kind of sophisticated fraud that takes much investigation. Once discovered, the whole edifice came tumbling down.

"Once she got into it, she found it difficult to stop. She now knows she must face the consequences for that. She will be left with nothing upon her release.

"She has spent the money on living beyond her means. She appears to have been a deeply unhappy lady. Some of the money was spent on a gastric band.

"She does seem to have been buying herself some happiness. It clearly hasn't worked."

Peverley, of Archdeacon Crescent, Darlington, admitted one count of fraud spanning two years at an earlier hearing.

Det Con Trodden said: "What people should bear in mind when listening to her sob story, is that without her greed and criminality, there would be no need for one and more focus should be on the victims.

"She continued to spend money after her arrest, having a £400 tattoo and going on holiday where she was pictured in a hot-tub seemingly without a care in the world.

"All of this time, her husband had no idea what had been going on and stood by her because he thought she needed his help. Yet, he was also being duped and is the real victim in this case.

"He simply asked for pocket money each week for a round of golf and a couple of pints, and had absolutely no idea what she was up to.

"Where it's gone, nobody knows. Other than a half-share in the £135,000 house and the expensive car, there is nothing to claw back from her at the moment.

"But Proceeds of Crime Act legislation means she will have an order hanging over her head indefinitely, and if and when she has any more assets, they will be seized."