A 48-YEAR-OLD Dursley woman defrauded her employers out of nearly £100,000 in a bid to win the 'affection and love' of her children and new partner by lavishing them with gifts, a court heard today.

Denise O'Connor, of Shearings Close, Dursley admitted two charges of abusing her position as accounts manager at adventure holiday firm Mountain Kingdoms Ltd and defrauding them of £96,259.44 between October 2014 and April 2017.

Prosecutor Susan Cavender told Gloucester Crown Court that O'Connor had been 'very much well liked and trusted' by her employer.

When she resigned in February 2017, they did not want her to go and threw a leaving party for her, the prosecutor said.

But her successor as accounts manager then discovered the offences O'Connor had been committing and she was arrested.

Ms Cavender highlighted the 'serious breach of trust' but the judge, Recorder Ed Burgess QC, said he felt that although her offending merited custody, he was able to suspend it.

O'Connor, who was weeping throughout the hearing, was given a two year jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 20 rehabilitation activity sessions and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Ms Cavender said O'Connor's offending was spotted by her successor in the post of accounts manager, Ms Katherine Binden.

“She noted suspicious transactions,” the prosecutor said, “there were seven payments in 2017.

“Then the more they looked, the more they found."

All the money was paid into an account in her name or another name by which she was known, 'Edwards', the prosecutor explained.

The court heard that the frauds had a 'significant effect' on the Wotton under Edge company.

It pushed the company in to a loss and led to a reduction in staff bonuses, said the prosecutor.

Mountain Kingdom boss Stephen Berry said in a statement: “Confidence in my management of the company has been undermined.

“It feels bad to have been cheated and deceived."

Ms Cavender said O'Connor made full admissions in police interview.

“She is of hitherto good character,” the prosecutor said, “but clearly this is a higher culpability case with an abuse of position that was sophisticated and over a period of time.”

Clare Fear, representing O'Connor, said: “Without wishing to trivialise in any way the obvious effects (of her offences) I argue it is not a high impact, as the company is still viable.

“It has not ceased trading.

“There is some detrimental impact, of course. Yes, it has had an impact, financial and otherwise.

“She wants to say how genuinely sorry she is. There is significant, palpable and genuine remorse.

“What is significant is her motivation for these offences.

“Usually it is purely for greed and profit, without any through of consequences for those from whom she stole.

“Rather tragically, the motivation here was for affection and love.

“The only way she can secure a meaningful relationship with her children or new partner is to lavish them with gifts or material concerns.”

Ms Fear pointed to what she described as the 'bereavement and betrayal of first husband'.

“There are an awful lot of people who have these traumas who do not steal nearly £100,000,” the lawyer conceded.

“That is undoubtedly true,” the judge observed.

“Lots of us are more robust than she clearly is,” Ms Fear continued.

She said that her client did not want her to offer this explanation for her actions.

“It is I that identify these factors,” the barrister said, “I would argue that any custodial sentence could be suspended.”

“She says she left the company to break the cycle. She felt the only way forward was to leave.

“That shows some degree of responsibility.

“She offers genuine significant remorse, and would accept any punishment.

“She has punished herself to such a degree that may go some way to be sufficient."

Imposing the suspended sentence, the judge said: “I am told you left because you wanted to bring the cycle to an end.

“You were surprised of the full scale of how much you defrauded, but the betrayal of trust was undoubtedly profound.

“Many struggle and do not resort to fraud, but I accept that you were not primarily motivated by greed.

“You wanted to help others and increase your own sense of self worth.

“You were wholly misguided in the way to go about it.

“I accept your remorse is genuine, and you bitterly regret what you did. You have lost your good name.

“I can just suspend the sentence,” he concluded, saying that consideration was what had caused him 'the most anxiety'.

A proceeds of crime hearing was fixed for February 26 next year to see how much can be claimed back from O'Connor from her frauds.