An admin manager who stole £35,000 from Cardiff council’s Child Protection Unit and then blamed her office colleagues has been jailed for 30 months.
Caroline Wootton-Thomas talked to other women at work about her holiday to Florida, her daughter’s horses, and her son’s private college, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
“I wondered how she could afford it,” one said.
“But I never thought she could be stealing from our department.”
Two colleagues said they had been left devastated by her false allegations against them.
“I feel as if I have been a victim of crime too,” said Sandra Thomas, a senior social worker whose signature was forged 76 times on cheques.
'Malevolent' influence
In February a jury convicted Wootton-Thomas , of Veronica Close, Rogerstone, of one charge of theft and two of money laundering.
Her 80-year-old mother was cleared of money laundering after it was found she knew nothing about the origins of sums, which saved her house from being repossessed and which had been put into her bank account by her daughter.
Sentencing Wootton-Thomas on Monday, Judge Neil Bidder QC said she had manipulated her mother in the first place into taking out a loan which put her home at risk and had promised to make the repayments.
“Your influence on her has been malevolent,” he told her.
The trial, which lasted more than two weeks, heard how the petty cash account kept in the department responsible for the safeguarding of children had paid out amounts of between £100 and £150 a month and always had a small credit balance.
But when the 49-year-old defendant took it over it became £42,000 overdrawn .
Bank statements were never seen by other staff until one was sent by mistake to another department.
But when confronted and charged with theft Wootton-Thomas challenged the police and prosecutors to show where the stolen money had gone.
They did so by investigating the bank accounts of family members as well as her own and discovered two sums of £6,000 and £10,200 had been paid into her mother’s bank in a month when a similar amount went missing from the council account.
Public money to help vulnerable children
Judge Bidder told the defendant that the evidence against her had been “overwhelming”.
“During your trial I saw fake tears and not a jot of remorse,” he said.
“I noticed you were even holding your mother’s hand in order to gain the sympathy of the jury.”
He accused Wootton-Thomas of telling “lie after lie” to the court while keeping a “completely straight face”.
“Just as you did to the postmistress who queried the large amounts you were cashing at the Post Office,” he added.
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The judge described how she had “tested the waters” with one forged cheque and when that worked without her getting caught went on, over a two-year period to cashing £500 a time, to steal more than £35,000.
“This was public money for [the expenses of] the team looking after vulnerable children.
“I am also satisfied the loan originally taken out by your mother had also been to pay your debts,” he said.
'Black cloud'
Extracts from victim impact statements made by her colleagues were read to the court by prosecutor Matthew Roberts.
In her statement Mrs Thomas said she had just returned to work after her partner had life-saving surgery when she was told Wootton-Thomas had been suspended and she was to be interviewed too.
“I found the interview distressing and upsetting and the anxiety and stress has continued,” she said.
“A crime has been committed against my character and my honesty and it had damaged by reputation as a manager.”
She said she felt she could not longer continue working in her role.
“Her dishonesty resulted in my career coming to an early end.”
Another colleague, Julie Evans, had been actually accused during the trial of being the thief herself after Wootton-Thomas said she had handed each transaction from the Post Office to her.
In her statement she said she first thought Wootton-Thomas had been suspended for incompetence but when people started asking her if she had received large sums of money she realised what her colleague was doing.
“I was in shock. It was like a black cloud was hanging over me,” she wrote.
“When she talked of holidays, horses and a private college I wondered how she could afford it.
“I feel completely deceived and to be accused of lying myself was unbearable.
“My husband was desperately ill at the time and it was very hard.”
'Absolutely terrified'
A proceeds of crime investigation is to take place to try to recover some of the money missing from the council’s account.
Wootton-Thomas said nothing as she was led to the cells by a security officer who carried her small black suitcase for her.
Her barrister, James Walker, had said she was prepared for the inevitable sentence.
“She is absolutely terrified of what is about to happen to her,” he told Judge Bidder.
A Cardiff council spokesman said: “Caroline Wootton-Thomas was employed by the City of Cardiff Council from August 2004 as an administrative assistant.
“Wootton-Thomas was suspended following reports of alleged financial irregularities by our internal audit department and was dismissed in July 2014 following an internal disciplinary hearing.
“The council would like to thank South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for their help with this case.”
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/council-admin-worker-who-stole-11039264
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