Woman who stole £25,000 from bridalwear companies jailed for 12 months

A woman who stole almost £25,000 from her employer has told police she cannot explain why she did it.

Jill Cannon admitted transferring the money into her account over nine occasions while working for a bridal wear manufacturer in Newark-on-Trent.

She had worked at Mori Lee (UK) and Royal Joyce International, bridal wear companies in Northern Road, Newark, for eight years when her criminality was discovered in 2020.

Following her arrest, Cannon admitted to police that she did not need the money and had already paid it all back.

Asked why she did it, Cannon replied: “I don’t know… I’ve been stupid.”

Canon was employed as a purchase ledger and oversaw transactions into the company’s account.

But she paid a total of £24,787.56 into her own bank account between January 2019 and January 2020 by changing the company account details to that of her own.

She said the first time it happened was a genuine mistake as she had been in a “daze” at work that day.

Asked during her police interview why she didn’t flag up the mistake but then carried on making payments into her account, she said: “I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Cannon, of Winthorpe Road, Newark-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position after appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on April 13 last year.

She appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on 28 February and was jailed for 12 months.

The court heard how Cannon’s offending came to light after a supplier contacted her employer regarding an outstanding invoice from September 2019 that had been dealt with by Cannon.

Company records showed the invoice had been paid, however the supplier had not received the money.

Further queries were soon raised by two other suppliers, sparking a police investigation.

Cannon was arrested after the payments were traced to a bank account in her name.

Sergeant Robert Harrison, of Nottinghamshire Police, said Cannon was now having to pay the price for her crimes.

He said: “Cannon had been employed by the company for a number of years and given responsibility for a number of high value transactions between her employer and customers.

“For reasons that even she cannot explain, she decided to abuse her position of trust and alter invoices so that thousands of pounds owed to the company instead ended up in her personal bank account.

“This resulted in a significant loss to the company. Although she paid the money back, the seriousness of her offending should not be underestimated.

“Fraud and financial abuse can have a devastating and compounding effect on businesses of all sizes.

“That is why Nottinghamshire Police is committed to investigating reports of this kind and will always strive to put offenders before the courts, as we recognise the wide reaching effects this type of crime has on the victim and the wider community.”