#12645143, By 2dividedby0 'Random news articles that don't warrant their own threads' thread.

2dividedby0 8 May 2020 07:15:16 201 posts
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(from 2019) There is little hope for Smethwick.
Smethwick Headteacher and School Secretary jailed over Ł500k school fraud.

A corrupt headteacher, who was the "lynch pin" of a massive fraud that cost the school she ran in a deprived area over Ł500,000, has been jailed for five and a half years.

Michelle Hollingsworth systematically syphoned off cash from Annie Lennard Primary in The Oval, Smethwick, for five years helped by her school secretary Deborah Jones who was sent to prison for four years three months.

The 55-year-old headteacher's builder husband Joseph, aged 58, was imprisoned for a year for his part in the racket and an attempt by him to pervert the course of justice.

The two women fraudsters made 180 visits to boutique stores, some as far away as Cheshire, on shopping sprees funded by cheques from the school and plundered more of its money in kick-back deals during which tradesmen were paid for work that was either overpriced or invented and shared the profit with one or both women.

Mrs Hollingsworth, from Hatherton Park, Cannock, was responsible for the school losing at least Ł513,000 while Jones, of Barrs Road, Cradley Heath, was involved in at least Ł439,000 of the loss.

Judge Simon Ward, sitting at Wolverhampton Crown Court, told the shamed head teacher: "You had great responsibility at the school, were in a position of great trust in charge of the finances to ensure best value for the school.

"It wasn't your money and it had to be spent wisely not generously on yourself."

The judge continued: "These series of conspiracies would not have existed without you. You abused your position of power, trust and responsibility to become the lynch pin for all this offending.

"You amassed a small network of people who each became involved in your dishonest scheme.

"As a result the school is having to rebuild itself, not with bricks and mortar but with different financial procedures and other changes to raise moral from its parlous state caused by the two people running the school turning out to be criminals."