Derbyshire grandmother brought primary school ‘to its knees’ with £70,000 fraud

Wendy Gill transferred £70,581 from the Bramcote Church of England School's repairs fund into her account over six years while working as business manager, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

But the deception was uncovered in June 2022 when a £21,000 budget deficit triggered a Local Education Authority investigation.

Luc Chignell, mitigating, said the 61-year-old had been in an “abusive relationship” and was under pressure to help fund her partner’s and his son’s drug habits.

Head teacher Sarah Meredith said she couldn’t afford to update IT, buy pencils or toys, and had to appeal to the PTA for funds to buy books.

Staff were were left worried when she was forced to consider making redundancies and some parents of children with special needs “broke down in tears” when she told them money wasn’t available, Mrs Meredith said.

Gill, now aged 61, had been “a close colleague, a confidante and a friend for over a decade,” who “we believed would do her utmost to safeguard the school's finances.”

Mrs Meredith was left in “total shock” and “physically sick” and spoke of the stress she endured while helping police “sift through hundreds of emails” afterhours and during holidays.

“The biggest impact has been on the children of our school,” she said. “They have missed out and suffered from being unable to access essential resources.”

Mr Chignell said there was no evidence of "excessive spending" or pure greed," and Gill, who is “terrified” of prison and has no previous convictions, has tried to sell her house to pay back what she stole.

“Every bit of good she had done has been tainted by what she did over the last few years,” he said. “She is ashamed of being sat in front of a community she has let down so fiercely.”

Gill, of Stanton Road, Ilkeston, admitted fraud in October 2023.

On Tuesday, Recorder James Bide-Thomas sentenced her to 25 months. A confiscation order has already been made to collect compensation.

“Everyone feels betrayed,” he told her. “Your offending is made worse because these people all thought of you as a friend.

“Every penny that wasn’t spent on the pupils enabled you to steal more."