Horizon ?- Postmistress paid back missing GBP25,000 - Subsequently Cleared (Part of Horizon Scandal)

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news ... ___25_000/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

FOR two years postmistress Julie Cleife hid the fact that her branch was losing thousands of pounds.

The 54-year-old’s defence solicitor told Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday that her mind was not on the job after her family went through a series of tragic events. She admitted one charge of fraud by false representation.

She was found out when an auditor visited the Over Wallop post office, in Pound Road – where she lived with her daughters and husband – and she admitted that she had fiddled the accounts.

An investigation found that from January 2008 until May this year, £25,614.45 went missing.

Royal Mail prosecutor Bob Booker told the court that Cleife, who ran the post office for 15 years, did not know where the money had gone.

Since the investigation, the mother-of-three has paid back the full amount from savings she and her husband were planning to use for retirement.

Mr Booker said: “The defendant did state straight away on arrival of the auditor that the account would be thousands short, although she had no idea where the money was.

“The defendant denied stealing the post office money but admitted to knowing that the money had gone missing.

“The defendant said her mind was not fully on the job, due to family circumstances.”

Defending, Edward Stott said that in January 2008 a series of personal tragedies affected Cleife’s three daughters, followed by the death of the postmistress’ father.

Cleife became distracted in her job and lost track of money she was handed at the post office. She is on unconditional bail until sentencing at Winchester Crown Court on Friday 26 November.

[subbie]

Another, now familiar story. No real cash missing, just a set of accounts that cannot be balanced, so figures are manipulated, because there is no one or no where to turn to.

The laugh is that if she had owned up POL would have just shrugged their shoulders and simply would have said "pay up, or we will deduct it from your remuneration".

Perhaps she should have upped the price of her stamps to pay POL, eh Billy??

Subbie

[billyhayes]

Perhaps she should have upped the price of her stamps to pay POL, eh Billy??

That would have been the first thing she did when she set up shop 15 years previous.

It's like an unwriiten law for subs, "Thoust shall overcharge on stamps, even though thoust gets a discount on them from RM".

"No real cash missing" you say!? Goodness! 25K sounds like a lot of "real cash" to me!

Yet another example of where they can't make ends meet on the 'shop' side of the sub so they dip into the PO pot to sustain their other concern.

Seen many stories like this on RMC over the years.

Some admit it. Some don't. This one didn't.

Funnily enough, I'm day off on the day of sentencing, so I might pop myself down to Winchester Crown Court to show my support...

[subbie]

Enjoy your day off Billy, you will be having many many more fairly soon.

Subbie

[DGP1]

It's nice to see that the PO forum have different groups at each others throats (now off to bait those MC slackers).

[billyhayes]

Enjoy your day off Billy, you will be having many many more fairly soon.

Subbie

"I gots me a whopper boys! A whopper!!"

hook-line-sinker.jpg

I'm taking a leaf from a sub-thiefs book... when the time comes I too will help myself to £25,000.

Whats good for the goose is good for the gander...

[billyhayes]

Here's another. They're coming thick and fast now folks.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 18&t=32486" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It gives me hope though... ONLY 12 months for over £43,000!

She'll probably serve between 4 or 5 months.

And the brucie bonus is... when she comes out she'll know exactly where the money is

Nice little earner

[safc1973]

Here's another. They're coming thick and fast now folks.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 18&t=32486" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It gives me hope though... ONLY 12 months for over £43,000!

She'll probably serve between 4 or 5 months.

And the brucie bonus is... when she comes out she'll know exactly where the money is

Nice little earner

Shame on you

[iceburnmarko]

https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/new ... n-scandal/

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I wonder if Billy will apologise ?

Quote from link provided above

Julie Cleife was wrongfully accused of stealing £25,000 from the Post Office and was given 100 hours community service, and forced to pay costs. However, the Post Office later admitted that it knew the software behind its computer terminals, Horizon, was prone to errors that caused money to apparently disappear from accounts.

[iceburnmarko]

I wonder if he would as well and also what many of us had to go through that stigma