MATLOCK BATH: ‘Trusted’ worker stole £50,000 from Gullivers Kingdom

Jill Marshall was sentenced at Derby Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to fraud by false representation.

Marshall, 54, of Willowbath Lane, Wirksworth, was given six months to pay back the £50,000 she stole.

The sentencing is the culmination of an 18 month investigation in which detectives worked closely with the company to examine around nine years worth of receipts in order to identify Marshall’s fraudulent transactions.

She was charged with stealing between 2004 and 2010.

Officers discovered Marshall would pocket money from the till by not issuing an admission ticket to every paying customer who visited the Matlock Bath attraction.

Senior managers at the family-run theme park became suspicious of Marshall in May 2011 when her till did not add up at the end of the day and she was found with a large amount of money in her bag.

The police were called and a lengthy investigation was launched into her activities at Gullivers.

Investigating officer DC Kevin Rivington said: “The discovery of this fraud was understandably very upsetting for the family who run Gullivers.

“Marshall had worked there for more than 20 years and was a respected, trusted and much-liked employee.

“The staff at Gullivers have been very supportive of our investigation and have helped us at every opportunity. I hope this sentencing gives them some form of closure so they can move on.”

Gulliver’s World managing director Julie Dalton said: “It’s been a very distressing time – she was a trusted member of the team.

“We’d like to thank the police for carrying out an investigation and bringing her to justice.”