South Normanton woman guilty of theft from community centre

Paula Kirk-Ellis (43) of Maple Drive in South Normanton pleaded guilty, at Nottingham Crown Court, to stealing £20,000 between May and August last year.

At the time she was employed at the Post Mill Centre in South Normanton and part of her duties involved banking the takings from the bar and room hire fees. The theft was discovered after an internal investigation and the police were called.

Kirk-Ellis was arrested and charged with the offence. She admitted she had used part of the stolen money to buy a horse.

On sentencing her, the judge also ruled that as part of her suspended sentence she should undertake rehabilitation activity and be subject of a curfew for three months.