Disgraced Parish Clerk Anita Whittle has been given a two year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to four charges relating to the theft of over £26,000 from Bratton Parish Council.
Whittle, aged 49, of Southay, Bratton, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft by employee, fraud by false representation and obtaining property by deception at an earlier hearing. She was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court last week.
Concerns about the council’s funds were initially reported to Wiltshire Police in August 2016 and Detective Chris Tollervey from the Complex Fraud Team, investigated these allegations.
A large amount of paperwork including bank statements and monthly minute sheets were recovered and it was found that money had been stolen from Bratton Parish’s bank account by Whittle over a number of years, equating to nearly £27,000.
Detective Chris Tollervey said, “Over a period of many years, Whittle has been stealing money by several different methods and has then used this money to fund her own lifestyle. As well as this, she had falsified council forms and annual reports, portraying a false account of Bratton Parish Council and their financial position.
“Whittle held a position of trust within Bratton Parish Council and she has completely abused this position over many years for her own benefit and to enhance her own lifestyle.
“I hope today’s sentence sends out a clear message that this type of offending will not be tolerated.”
As well as the suspended sentence, Whittle was also given a six month curfew from 5pm to 5am and an order was authorised under the Proceeds of Crime Act which means Whittle will have to pay back the amount of money she illegally benefitted from.
