Crooked accounts clerk walks free after court hears she has cancer

An accounts assistant who swiped £19,000 from a healthcare business by pretending she was refunding patients has been spared jail after a judge was told she has cancer.

Victoria Hegarty, 36, used the company’s Worldpay account to deposit the fraudulent refunds into her three separate accounts.

Hegarty worked at the Rila Institute of Health Sciences as an accounts assistant on a zero-hours contract, invoicing the company as and when she worked for them.

While checking company bank statements Rila director Georgina Dhillon uncovered a trail of unexpected refunds between May and October 2019, Southwark Crown Court heard.

The undocumented refunds were issued at the same terminal and went to the same three credit cards – all belonging to Hegarty.

Ms Dhillon contacted police and Hegarty was arrested.

She claimed in interview she had been aware of some money entering into her bank account, but assumed that it related to her employment.

Hegarty said she noticed one transaction of £3,000 entering her account, and considered mentioning it to her boss, but she was about to go away on holiday.

She told police she might have been set up, the court heard.

Martin Hooper, prosecuting, earlier told jurors: ‘At the heart of this allegation we say that Victoria Hegarty abused her position as an accounts administrative assistant.’

Desmon Jenson, defending, said Hegarty is suffering from ‘serious medical conditions’ including a form of blood cancer and a condition that causes her to produce too many platelets.

‘Over Christmas, due to her weakened immune system, Ms Hegarty contracted pneumonia.

‘Her condition requires regular check-ups,’ said Mr Jenson.

Hegarty had previously worked for the company and had been a ‘model employee’ until 2019, he said.

‘What has changed? Certainly her health and I ask the court to consider the impact on her mental capacity,’ he added.

Mr Jenson told the court that imprisonment would cause ‘serious disruption’ to Hegarty’s ‘urgent medical treatment’.

‘It is not an exaggeration to say Ms Hegarty’s medical conditions are both chronic and life threatening,’ said Mr Jenson.

‘She has gone into the dock with her bag.

‘Nothing has been assumed. The only assumption is made by me, and I say this with all respect to the court, that her serious medical condition may enable this court, as an act of mercy in exceptional circumstances in this particular case rather than by virtue of general principle to impose a lesser sentence than would normally be appropriate in the circumstances.’

The judge, Ms Recorder Emma Goodall QC told Hegerty: ‘You held a position of financial responsibility within the company, of trust, and considered a friend of Mrs Dhillon.

‘I saw when she gave evidence both a professional and personal impact your breach of trust has had on her.’

The judge said that due to Hegerty medical conditions and prospect of rehabilitastion she decided ‘with some hesitancy’ to take the unusual step to suspend her sentence.

Dressed in black trousers and black top, Hagerty wept as she heard she would be spared jail while supported by members of her family in the public gallery.

Hegarty, of Stukeley Street, Camden, north London, denied, but was convicted of fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position.

She was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

A three-month 8PM to 6AM electronic curfew was also imposed.

The prosecution will be pursuing confiscation proceedings.
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