School administrator facing prison for fraud

A school administrator from Tuxford has been warned to prepare for jail by a judge after she admitted stealing over £140,000 from her employers.

40-year-old Jacqueline McIntyre took the cash amounting to £142,044 over a ten year period while working for Newton-on-Trent Church of England Primary School.

McIntyre, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to two charges of theft and one offence of fraud when she appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday.

The theft charges relate to £64,985-13 stolen by McIntyre from the school between April 2004 and February last year, and a further £67,848-44 taken from Lincolnshire County Council between March 2001 and January 2010.

McIntrye, who began working at the school in 1999, also admitted fraudulently claiming £9,210-54 in overtime payments between August 2008 and March last year.

Andrew Scott, prosecuting, said: "This defendant stole monies while working as an administrator for Newton-on-Trent primary from the school fund, but also from Lincolnshire County Council through a system which involved applying for the payment of funds to nominated suppliers."

Mr Scott told the court McIntyre, of Machin Close, Tuxford, arranged payments so they were made to her own creditors rather that the council's nominated suppliers.

Police and Lincolnshire County Council launched investigations after discrepancies were picked up during a school audit.

The court heard McIntyre is a lady of "good character" with a complicated background.

Judge Michael Heath granted McIntyre bail for the preparation of probation and psychiatric reports, but warned her to expect custody when she is sentenced in six weeks time.

"I am going to adjourn sentence in your case until November," Judge Heath told McIntyre.

"The reason is so that the probation service can make a report on you and your own legal team can obtain a psychiatric report.

"You can have bail until Novmeber but you must understand that likehood is of prison sentence in this case."