Finance boss stole more than £90,000 from cancer charity — and is ordered to pay back just £1

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A finance boss who siphoned off more than £90,000 over six years from a cancer charity to pay for shopping and holidays abroad has been ordered to pay back just £1.

Paula Tribbeck, the former financial coordinator at Wessex Cancer Trust, stole the money so she could live a lavish lifestyle while the charity launched public fundraisers in a battle to survive, a court previously heard.

The trust, which helps people living with cancer and their families, faced possible closure and scrambled to raise £600,000 to save the organisation.

Tribbeck was jailed for two years at Southampton Crown Court in October.

A judge has now ordered the 48-year-old to repay £1 within the next seven days.

Judge Christopher Parker told Tribbeck, appearing via remote link from East Sutton Park prison: “Unless you win the lottery, it seems unlikely you will be able to repay it.”

Defending, Chris Gaiger told Southampton Crown Court: “She has got nothing. There are no available funds. It was spent as fast as it came in on things like holidays.”

The court heard that Tribbeck’s crime was uncovered when colleagues broke into her desk and discovered key fobs used to access bank accounts and petty cash in 2019.

Over the course of six years, £93,800 was transferred from the charity to her personal account, with only £2,300 of that ever paid back, the court was told.

When the charity received letters demanding payment for overdue invoices, they discovered accounts which were supposed to have been closed were still active.

Tribbeck stole the money - in payments ranging from £100 to £4,000 - by logging invoices as being paid, and then sending the money to herself, the court heard.

She was reported to police, who searched her home and found bank statements hidden in her wardrobe.

The court heard Tribbeck was “visibly shocked” when police told her how much money she had taken, and told them her fraud had “become an addiction”.

As she was sentenced, Judge Nicholas Rowland told her: “You took advantage of the trust that was put in you.

“You must have had some idea of what you were doing because you were spending significant amounts on your lifestyle.

“You’re still taking holidays while that £93,000 is outstanding.”

Tribbeck, who admitted a single charge of fraud by abuse of position, wept as she was sentenced to 24 months in prison.

The 48-year-old joined the charity as a teenager before rising to the position of financial coordinator in 2010, and was responsible for logging all financial transactions.

Following the case, Diane Cutler, chair of trustees, and Rachel Billsberry-Grass, chief executive, Wessex Cancer Trust, said: “We are relieved that this matter has now been concluded by the courts.

“We have been devastated that Paula Tribbeck, a trusted member of staff, would steal from our charity.

“This fraud dates back to 2019 and today’s sentencing marks the end of an almost three-year legal process.

“This has been a difficult time for the charity, and we would like to thank all our staff, volunteers and supporters who continue to help us to provide desperately needed emotional support for local people living with cancer.”