COURT: Estate agent jailed for 30 months after stealing £102,000
Gemma Wall, who failed to turn up to her first sentencing hearing, stole the money from a property firm and a parent teacher organisation.
An estate agent has been jailed for 30 months after stealing £102,4384 from two employers including an estate agency.
Gemma Wall, until her crimes were revealed, worked most recently for rural estate agency Bagshaws. The company, which also handles farms and machinery, has a long history and six branches across Staffordshire and Derbyshire.
At a hearing held at Stafford County Court the 41-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud by abuse of position, one via her role as treasurer of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the Friends of St Joseph’s Primary School and the other through a position of trust at Bagshaws, both in Uttoxeter.
Although the fraudulently obtained the money, the court heard that some £274,952 was diverted through her bank account between January 2014 and December 2016 at the PTA and January 2017 and June 2019 at the estate agency.
While working at Bagshaws, Wall admitted ‘fraud by abuse of position while occupying a position as an employee of Bagshaws, in which she was expected to safeguard, or not to act against, the financial interests of Bagshaws, and she dishonestly abused that position intending thereby to make a gain, namely for herself’.
Christine Baggott (pictured), a Partner at Bagshaws, told local media: “She committed a complex fraud and now there has been a good outcome and she has been punished as a consequence of what she did.”
Wall failed to turn up to an earlier sentencing hearing at Stafford court on 3rd February and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Read more about agents who defraud.
