A former union branch secretary who was jailed after defrauding Unison and the NHS out of a total of £80,000 has been ordered to pay back just £1.
Tanya Tucker was found guilty of seven counts of fraud following a trial at Durham Crown Court and was jailed for 28 months in April. The court heard the 57-year-old used her status as a local branch secretary for Unison to falsely claim funds disguised as union expenses in order to fund her lifestyle.
At the hearing in April, Ian West, prosecuting, said Tucker denied fraud, but a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict following a trial in March. He said the total value of the fraud was just over £80,000 and was committed over a long period of time. It took "deliberate planning" and the "side-lining of branch officials", he said.
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On Wednesday, Tucker, of Walker Drive, Bishop Auckland, returned to the court via link from HMP Low Newton for a hearing regarding confiscation proceedings, and was told she must pay back just £1 due to having no available assets. Mr West said: "The prosecution have assessed the defendant's benefit from offending as £94,331.95, including addition for inflation. A financial investigation concluded she has no available assets to meet that figure so ask the court to make a nominal order of £1 that will be paid in 28 days with a further one day in prison in default." Nicholas Askins, defending, agreed with the prosecution and did not make any submissions.
Judge Ray Singh told Tucker: "There's been an assessment that you have benefitted from criminal conduct of £94,331.95. An examination of your assets revealed there's nothing available to satisfy that amount. £1 must be paid in 28 days, if not there is an extra day in prison."
Tucker committed the offences on dates between June 2013 and September 2017, when she was a Unison branch secretary. Offences were committed when Tucker was an employee of the North of England Commissioning Support Unit (NECS) of the NHS, and as an official of Unison’s Northern Regional Health Commissioning Branch. The court was told she "forged signatures" and falsely entered details on computer software.
In a victim statement, a union member said he felt "a sense of betrayal" at Tucker's actions and that she broke the trust of those she worked with. She was suspended from her job in November 2018 and dismissed following disciplinary proceedings in October 2019, the court heard.
In his sentencing remarks at the time, Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, said: "You used your status as a local Unison branch secretary to falsely claim funds disguised as union expenses. It was brazen, fraudulent offending for more money to fund your lifestyle. Some reputational damage was done to Unison."
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