A debt-ridden secretary fiddled thousands from her

A debt-ridden secretary fiddled thousands from her company’s
accounts – and blew most of it on a dream holiday.

Pretty Yvonne Simpson, 22, lived the high-life and took
a pal on a Caribbean cruise, taking in Disneyland.

The cheeky secretary even sent a postcard to her office.

Snaresbrook Crown Court was told how she had used bosses’
photocopied signatures to authorise cheques, personal expenses, and
payment of catalogue goods.

Simpson, of Courthill Road, Lewisham, admitted procuring the
execution of valuable securities by deception, forgery, false
accounting and criminal deception – all between June and August
last year.

Judge Alan Hitching postponed sentence until May 8 but
warned her a jail sentence was on the cards.

The court was told how in October 1989 she started her pnds
stlg 13,000 a year job as a marketing secretary for Haymarket
based GE Capital RFS Ltd – a retail finance services company who deal
with in-house charge card facilities.

In July last year the finance department became aware of invoices
from a catalogue company detailing hundreds of pounds worth of goods
that it had paid for.

The customer reference was found to be in Simpson’s name,
said Mr Patrick Bucknell, prosecuting.

And further investigations revealed she had received
personal expense vouchers for more money than she was entitled.

It was discovered how during this time Simpson had raised cheques
by faxing letters to the finance department based in Leeds asking for
various amount of cash.

By photocopying one of her bosses’ signatures onto the document it
would give the impression that the payment had been properly
authorised, the court was told.

She had gained similar authorisation for the purchase of
catalogue goods and personal expense vouchers.

Mr Bucknell continued: ‘Simpson raised two cheques in the name of
her mother.

‘
Counsel explained how she forwarded one for pnds stlg 600 and
another for pnds stlg 574 to her parent who had previously lent her
cash.

And in August last year Simpson raised another cheque for pnds
stlg 2,000 ‘by the same method’ for an ex-boyfriend who she owed money
to, said counsel.

The court heard how through a travel company she deceived the
finance department into paying a single amount for more than pnds stlg
10,256.

‘That was actually a payment for her and another person to go to
Disneyland.

‘She had in fact deceived her company into paying for an expensive
holiday in America,’ said Mr Bucknell.

Before spending seven days at the funpark in Florida, Simpson and
a friend enjoyed a luxury week-long cruise in the Caribbean, said
counsel.

Although Simpson sent a postcard to her employers saying that she
would not return, detectives who were brought in discovered she had
bought a return ticket and arrested her on her arrival to England in
September.

During police interviews she was asked about the offences and
replied: ‘I knew it was wrong, I was going through a bad
patch.

‘
Officers quizzed Simpson over whether she had planned the trip to
Disneyland.

She told them: ‘I did it on the spur of the moment.

It was crazy,
I had never done anything like this before.

I didn’t even need a
holiday, it was just really crazy.

‘
The company is seeking a court order for pnds stlg 14,700
compensation.

The court heard that since losing her job with Capital, Simpson,
who has credit card debts of more than pnds stlg 6,000, had since
obtained secretarial work earning some pnds stlg 16,000 a year.

Mr Jeremy Ornstin, (correct) defending, said that Simpson, of
previous good character, had not carried out the fraud for ‘pure
gratification’ and had been ‘in search of happiness.

‘
ENDS