A former union branch secretary who was jailed after defrauding Unison and the NHS out of a total of £80,000 has been ordered to pay back just £1.
Tanya Tucker was found guilty of seven counts of fraud following a trial at Durham Crown Court and was jailed for 28 months in April. The court heard the 57-year-old used her status as a local branch secretary for Unison to falsely claim funds disguised as union expenses in order to fund her lifestyle.
At the hearing in April, Ian West, prosecuting, said Tucker denied fraud, but a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict following a trial in March. He said the total value of the fraud was just over £80,000 and was committed over a long period of time. It took "deliberate planning" and the "side-lining of branch officials", he said.
