Yorkshire office manager avoids jail for theft

An office manager from Elland, near Huddersfield in Yorkshire has avoided a jail sentence for theft because the judge believed it would negatively impact her disabled daughter.

Joanne Lister admitted to stealing £32,700 from Crossley Webb by overpaying herself while she was employed at the firm as an office manager. The theft was discovered when accounting discrepancies came to light while Lister was on holiday.

Judge Jonathan Rose told Lister she would’ve been given a 12-month stint in prison if he had not considered the impact of such a sentence on her disabled daughter and her partner. Instead Rose gave suspended the sentence for two years and ordered her to complete 180 hours of community service, along with a night-time curfew.

Lister claimed she stole the money to pay for her daughter’s care. After examining her available assets, Judge Rose ordered her to pay nearly £10,500 compensation to Crossley Webb Managing Director Paul Holden, which she must pay within three months or face another six months in jail.

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