Caerphilly mum stole £1.3m from small family business to buy expensive holidays and cars
A mum from Caerphilly stole more than £1.3 million from a small family business where she worked.
Alison Smith was able to fund a habit for expensive holidays, cars and clothes after a "devastating" nine-year fraud at a Blaenavon firm, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
The 42-year-old made hundreds of fraudulent payments in her role as financial manager at family-run Eiran Civil Engineering.
She was finally caught out at the beginning of this year and was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday 25 October.
Smith, of Marsh Court in Aberbargoed, was a financial manager at Eiran Civil Engineering from June 2012 until she resigned in January of this year.
During these nine-years, analysis of company accounts show that Smith had stolen £1,315,143 in total.
She duplicated invoices in the name of a legitimate supplier but changed the bank details so she could pay herself.
At the time she left the company, Smith was earning £32,000 a year.
The court heard how colleagues had noticed her "expensive holidays, weekends away and the renovation of her daughters' home", but they did not question how she could afford her lifestyle because they trusted her.
The prosecutor in the case told the court how Smith's tactics involved "setting one member of the family off against the other".
Anita Lane, an employee at the company told the court: "It tore me apart emotionally. A life-changing amount of money has been stolen from my family, all done while she was sitting opposite me in the office.
"This person was not just a work colleague but had befriended me. I find it hard to get my head around how a person could be so cold and calculating."
She said Smith's treatment of the family caused her "huge" distress, adding: "I do not go out socially anymore. I keep myself to myself."
Smith was finally caught out soon after she resigned. Anita Lane met with accountants to review the firm's end-of-month finances, something that would normally be done by Smith.
During the meeting they realised there was an outstanding payment to an oil supplier. When contacted, the supplier was unaware of any payment.
Ms Lane and the accountant realised that the payment had gone to Smith under the name of the oil supplier. After further investigation, the true extent of Smith's crimes were revealed.
The Judge presiding over the case told Smith her impact on a small family business had been "devastating".
She pled guilty to fraud and was handed a five-year prison sentence, half of which will be served in custody.
A proceeds of crime hearing will take place on February 24.