A mum who splurged quarter of a million pounds on lavish holidays, jewellery and designer clothes after she stole from her employer has been ordered to repay tens of thousands of pounds.
Angela Boote was told she must repay her ill-gotten gains or serve a further prison sentence after stealing £250,000 from insurance brokers Griffiths and Armour.
The 53-year-old started working for the firm in 1994 but she used her role managing the company’s banking functions to pocket cash for herself.
Instead of sending payments to some clients, Boote paid the cash into personal accounts - including her daughter's and a joint account she shared with her husband, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Sarah Griffin, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that colleagues regarded her as a "trusted member of staff".
By March 2016, Boote was "responsible for credit control, managing the company bank and credit control functions" and "initiated payments to clients in respect of refunds or overpayments of insurance premiums".
But the mother-of-two began to steal from the company in early 2017 as she redirected £255,854.32 to four bank accounts linked to her. Rather than transferring the money for refunds to clients, she would instead send the funds to herself before creating elaborate paper trails to cover up her dishonesty.
Boote, of Lower Lane in Fazakerley, was caught when a client reported an issue with a £224 refund that had not been paid into their account in January 2020. As Boote was on annual leave, a coworker dealt with the complaint and discovered the cash had been sent to her daughter's account.
An internal investigation was launched and forensic accountants uncovered various transactions, discovering 96 fraudulent payments over a two-and-a-half year period.
Boote was then dismissed and later admitted her crimes under interview with police.
Lionel Grieg, defending, told the court that his client was "deeply remorseful" and that her actions had spiralled out of control as she sought to address her depression by stealing to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
He stated that she had begun to pay back the cash through an inheritance from her aunt and added: "She has not only let her family down but also her work colleagues, who she has worked with for years and who trusted her implicitly."
In March last year, Boote was jailed for 40 months after admitting theft. Recorder David Knifton KC said her actions had seriously damaged the company’s reputation, also devastating many of her colleagues.
He added: "The funds were used by you to support your lavish lifestyle, particularly expensive holidays."
Boote appeared in court again today for an application under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Ben Berkson, appearing for the prosecution, outlined how she benefitted from her criminality to the tune of £134,853.62 - "reduced from £250,000 because the defendant has paid off" some of the sum stolen.
It was also found that she currently has available assets of £79,922. Recorder Michael Blakey ruled that this figure must be paid back within three months or she will be given an additional eight months in prison in default.
Boote - who appeared in the dock wearing a black jacket over a blouse and with long dark hair - would still be required to cough up the money in this event. The funds will be passed on to the company after being seized.
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