WORKER STOLE £120K IN 'WEB OF DECEIT'

Woman avoids prison 'by skin of her teeth' after thefts from employer

- By ADAM EVERETT

A WOMAN "avoided prison by the skin of her teeth" after her crimes were discovered while she was away on holiday.

Carol Stanley stole more than £100,000 from the recycling company where she worked, with her offending seemingly having continued over the course of several years.

But her “web of deceit” was eventually revealed when her understudy came across some suspicious paperwork while she was off on annual leave.

Stanley then remained abroad for around six months, but was this week spared an immediate jail sentence following an “inordinate and inexplicable” delay of more than two years in bringing her to justice.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that Stanley had been employed as a weighbridge operator at national waste management and recycling firm Veolia Ltd’s site in St Helens since its opening in 2018. This role included responsibilities such ensuring that contractors were paid for their work, allowing her access to the company’s finances.