An £180,000 scam that funded a mum's "fantasy life" has been rumbled after a shopping trip to B&Q. Tracy Ellis, 52, lived the high life, lavishing family with gifts she paid for by swindling her employer out of huge sums of money for over five years.
Ellis' actions have been dubbed as a "betrayal" to the small firm, where she worked as a bookkeeper for almost a decade, reports the Liverpool Echo. On Monday, July 10, Liverpool Crown Court heard that she was first employed by the building contractor, Ingham and Garner Ltd, in September 2013, and became "solely responsible" for its accounts.
Prosecutor Christopher Hopkin described how the mum was tasked with paying invoices and looking after petty cash as part of her role. But, on May 9 last year, company director Jennifer Burrows noticed their business account had been used in a £37.80 transaction at B&Q in St Helens the day before.
