A STOCK assistant at a county CIU branch headquarters stole more than £30,000 by “dipping into the till”, then, “cooking the books” to cover her tracks.

Leesa Hunter took cash payments over the counter at the Durham head office of the club movement and gave the customers a credit notice.

She then altered the accounting system to make it appear no money and had been handed over and simply kept the cash for herself,

Durham Crown Court heard that she paid it into her own bank account, but at different branches in the area so no staff members would recognise her and suspect her of anything suspicious.

But, having escaped detection for six years, her activities came to light when the secretary of Chilton and Windlestone Workingmen’s Club produced a list of cash payments for stock made to Hunter at the Flass Street office, in February last year

He received invoices for the payments, but none were recorded in the accounts and the figures did not tally with those input on the system.

When she heard there was to be a full audit of accounts she left, and did not return to the office, last March.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said when interviewed, in June, she eventually made admissions.

When police checked her personal bank account it was discovered 32 cash instalments for sums totalling more than £15,000 were made between November 2013 and February 2016.

She said she used the money to make repayments to her credit cards, which were to the maximum limit.

A statement by Amy McKenna, admin manager at the Durham CIU office, said it caused the branch reputational damage and for a time left everyone working there under suspicion and while still viable, the jobs of staff were put in doubt.

Hunter, 47, of Moorhouse Gardens, Hetton-le-Hole, who has no previous convictions, admitted fraud.

Liam O’Brien, mitigating, said her conviction would mean she would also lose her new job with a national car rental company and would find it hard to obtain future employment.

Judge Jonathan Carroll imposed a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, with 200-hours’ unpaid work and 30 probation activity days.

She will also be subject to a three-month 7pm to 7am home curfew.

Judge Carroll put a restraint order on her house while proceeds of crime inquiries take place to see what can be confiscated to pay as compensation to the CIU.

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