An East Kilbride tax worker who stole nearly £200,000 could avoid a jail sentence – if she sells her home.
Joanne Connell used taxpayers’ details to create fake credits and then transferred money to her personal bank account.
She later told investigators the scam had enabled her to clear “pretty much all” of her mortgage.
Connell, 37, of Kincardine Place, appeared for sentence at Hamilton Sheriff Court this week.
At an earlier hearing she admitted embezzling £193,000 between April 22, 2022, and April 1 the following year.
Neil Thomson, prosecuting, said Connell worked for HMRC for around 15 years and held various roles during that time.
It appeared she committed the crime on an HMRC laptop while working from home and recovering from meningitis.
Records showed she first transferred £500 to her account but Mr Thomson told the court: “The sums then increased and she transferred £35,000 on four occasions.
“Connell was off work from June 6, 2022, to April 1, 2023. She is believed to have contracted meningitis and was admitted to hospital with a bleed to the brain that developed into an abscess.
“At that time she told her managers she had difficulty understanding and following instructions, but it seems she continued to perpetrate this crime during her sick leave.
“When arrested she admitted the fraudulent activity and said she had around £100,000 of debts to pay off.
“Asked how much of her mortgage she had managed to pay off, she replied ‘Pretty much all of it’.”
Investigators found she’d cleared £80,000 of the mortgage and £10,000 of other debts. She had also given money to her aunt and £14,000 to her next door neighbour’s partner.
Defence solicitor Abby Russell said her client’s behaviour was “out of character” and a criminal justice social work report was positive. She is on medication for ongoing health issues.
Ms Russell suggested that, despite the serious nature of the charge, a non-custodial sentence could be imposed.
She said Connell is willing to at least partly repay HMRC by selling her home – valued at £123,000 – and her car.
She would move in with a disabled relative for whom she helps care.
Sheriff John Hamilton said it was a “sophisticated and persistent fraud” and he wasn’t impressed by Connell’s remarks to a social worker about it.
He said: “She says she can’t explain it. She was ill at the time with a condition that made her steal, which is nonsensical.
“It strikes me as more likely that she knew exactly what she was doing and is sorry she got caught.”
The sheriff agreed to continue the case for six weeks to see if progress can be made on the house sale.
He added: “If that was not on the table she would be going to jail.”
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