Crooked police worker's £108,000 repayment order
A ROTHERHAM police worker who stole almost £100,000 from the force more than a decade ago has now been told to hand over an even greater sum - or go back to prison - following a re-examination of her wealth.
Jacqueline Fletcher, aged 55, of Boundary Walk, Brinsworth, had already been jailed, with a sentence of two years and eight months, in 2018 when her offending was exposed.
She admitted four counts of thefts at that point, stemming from an episode in 2013 when she was a team leader in charge of the property store at Attercliffe police station, Sheffield, in 2013.
At that point, £100,000 was seized in cash as part of a police investigation and lodged at the store.
She informed officers it had been counted and banked in the force account, when in fact £98,500 had gone into her account, with only £1,500 going where it should.
Although she left the force in 2015, her past caught up with her two years later when a request was made to recover the cash, as part of a Proceeds of Crime investigation - where police can permanently seize criminal assets - and it could not be found.
She was ultimately charged with four offences.
An investigation followed and Fletcher was handed a confiscation order for £47,000 in 2018.
However, the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Crime Unit has re-examined the case, which has led to a fresh order - called a ‘reconsideration’.
That identified new assets and came up with a figure of £108,000 she needed to repay.
Det Supt James Axe, head of our Professional Standards Department, said:
"We expect all of our employees to behave professionally, honestly and with integrity. Fletcher showed none of these traits, behaving disgracefully and abusing the trust placed in her.
"The money secured through confiscation order helps fund community grant schemes and officer training allowing us to give back to our communities, as well as ensuring Fletcher does not continue to benefit from her offending.”
The case demonstrates the effectiveness of regional investigators in revisiting confiscation orders made under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
They have the ability to re-assess what may be available for recovery, should a criminal’s circumstances change from the point where an order was originally made.