A trusted employee at a veterinary practice has been spared jail for a £36,000 fraud.
Helen Pearse was working for Northumberland-based Robson and Prescott vets when she carried out a series of frauds, conning insurance companies with fake policies for animals which didn't exist and operations which didn't take place.
Newcastle Crown Court heard she committed the offences after getting into financial difficulties and was not "living the high life". Now the 33-year-old, of Hawthorn Road, Widdrington Station, Northumberland, has been given a suspended prison sentence for the offences, which spanned 2018 to 2022.
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Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, said: "She set up a number of fake policies, mostly in respect of animals which didn't exist and surgeries which had not been carried out and altered ones that had been carried out.
"This came to light when one of the companies had a query about a claim in April last year, days before she was due to leave and take up another post. Police were informed, she was arrested and she admitted the offences.
"This is not a case where somebody has been living the high life. She was on a low salary (£23,000), had a mortgage a nice car and a horse.
"She did have a position of trust and there was some sophistication to the offending. She had to access details from her employer and alter them to submit details to the insurance companies to support the claims. This was over a lengthy period of time, just under four years."
The total amount of money defrauded from the insurance companies was £36,491. She has made a series of repayments and the outstanding amount is £15,024.
Pearse, 33, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud and was sentenced to 20 months suspended for 18 months and must pay the outstanding amount as compensation within 12 months. Recorder Ben Nolan KC said: "This was a fairly sophisticated series of frauds involving adaptions and altering of documents."
Lorraine Mustard, defending, said: "Effectively what happened is she found herself in financial difficulties. She was not living an extravagant life.
"Her parents have offered to help her repay this. They made it plain, had she come to them with her difficulties they could have helped her.
"She had difficulties with her mental health. This is entirely out of character.
"She fully acknowledges she dealt with this quite wrongly and is at pains to make the repayments. Her family have stepped up to help her repay this.
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