A charity manager who cheated the organisation out of £133,000 failed to attend court for sentence.
A bench warrant for Donna Wells, who used a friend’s husband, Francis Jones, to launder some of the money through his mobile butty bar, was issued by a judge without a bail option today. Jones, 39, admitted invoices totalling £42,800 had been dishonestly paid into his business by Wells of which he had paid her £28,000 back.
Simon Christie, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court Wells was service manager for Addaction based in Grangeway Community Centre, Runcorn. The organisation, now known as We Are With You, supports people with drug or alcohol problems.
READ MORE: Man found dead in HMP Liverpool cell was 'safe and well' 20 minutes before
Mr Christie said: “Part of her role was to approve invoice payments on behalf of the charity. Her criminality is in six figures."
Jones owned Jones Butty Bar and through his business Wells paid 17 invoices between January 15, 2018 and September 6, 2019. A total of £42,800 was paid in and he paid her £28,100 back to her.
When interviewed Jones, a dad-of-two, said he knew Wells as she was a friend of his wife and said he had provided some children’s food packages for Addaction. Jones said he had bought a van for his business from his sister but amassed a £12,000 debt and he was declared bankrupt in September 2020.
Mr Christie said that the fraud had had “a catastrophic impact on the charity". Jones, of Woodridge, Runcorn, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to money laundering.
Defence barrister Brendan Carville said Jones has been working since as a taxi driver though he may lose that occupation now because of his conviction.
Mr Carville said: “There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation." The judge Recorder Andrew McLoughlin said that Wells had “inveigled you into committing this serious offence.”
He said that it appeared that 40-year-old Wells abused her position of trust “to bully and hector people around her.”
The judge said: “You have been drawn into this for easy money to support your business, which ultimately failed and led to bankruptcy.”
He sentenced him to 15 months in prison suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 100 hours unpaid work. Wells, of Bridgeway East, Runcorn, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position between January 4, 2018 and January 25, 2020 at an earlier hearing.
When she was remanded on bail until today to enable pre-sentence reports to be prepared Wells said that she wanted to go to Turkey to see her mother.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
READ NEXT:
Lidl burglar's trail of blood in Chinese buffet led police straight to him
Trams could be answer to Anfield matchday traffic woes
Carer stole £115k from vulnerable widow and left her with just £87
Four-star Merseyside hotel owed over £18m when it collapsed into administration
GMB's Ben Shephard tells Kate Garraway to 'be quiet' during clash
