An administrator with a charity-run pre-school in Exmouth has been sentenced for stealing over £65,000 from the organisation's funds. She misappropriated the funds for personal use, spending them on cosmetics and household items.
Claire Precious, the former administrator of Bassetts Farm Pre-School in Exmouth, faced sentencing for her embezzlement of funds of over £65,000 from the pre school. Her actions not only jeopardised the financial stability of the pre-school but also endangered the education of 50 children and the livelihoods of six staff members.
The gravity of the situation became apparent when the pre-school was on the brink of closure, saved only by a partial repayment of £13,000 by Precious's parents. Her misappropriation of funds, spanning five years, involved fraudulent purchases of personal luxuries through Amazon and Argos accounts she had set up using the pre-school's finances. Furthermore, she manipulated records to conceal her deceitful activities, including unauthorized pay raises and cash withdrawals.
The severity of her actions was underscored by Judge James Adkin at Exeter Crown Court, who described her behaviour as 'greedy' and emphasised the catastrophic consequences her actions could have had on the school. Precious, aged 49, of Madagascar Close, Exmouth, admitted fraud by abuse of position and was jailed for two years, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 220 hours unpaid community work and 40 days of rehabilitation. Precious faces further repercussions under the Proceeds of Crime Act if she fails to repay the stolen funds.
During the trial, it was revealed that Precious's fraudulent activities extended to personal shopping and home furnishings, exacerbating the financial strain on the pre-school. Her remorse was tempered by the acknowledgment of a diagnosed mental illness, for which she is undergoing treatment.
Mr Daniel Moore, volunteer chairman of the charity that runs the preschool, wrote a business impact statement saying that it had almost closed as a result of the thefts and only been saved by a repayment from Precious’s parents and by raiding an emergency fund.
He said: “We are a charity, it is utterly abhorrent and shameful that she left us four weeks away from closure. Most of what she bought were luxuries or non-essential items.”
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