Joanne Connell, 37, stole £193,000 from taxpayers using her HMRC access and will serve two years in jail.
Joanne Connell, age 37, worked for HMRC. She knew how the tax system worked. Connell added fake credits to taxpayer records, without their knowledge. She then sent the money to her own bank.
Connell worked in bankruptcy for HMRC. She stole the cash between April and September 2022. She paid off her mortgage and other debts with the stolen money. Connell even used her work laptop to steal when she was sick.
She admitted to embezzlement in court and received her sentence there. Connell had worked for HMRC for fifteen years. The court was in Hamilton.
Connell made fake credits at home, using her HMRC laptop. She deposited the money into her bank account, the same account where her HMRC salary went.
She gradually stole larger amounts of money, once transferring four sums of £35,000. Police arrested her in March 2023. She used around £80,000 to pay her mortgage and also paid other debts.
Connell was sick and away from work in June 2022. She had trouble following instructions at one point and needed to go to the hospital.
HMRC discovered she stole money while on sick leave. They will now try to recover the stolen money, using Proceeds of Crime laws.
A prosecutor, Les Brown, spoke about the case. He said Connell broke the public’s trust and abused her HMRC job.
She stole from taxpayers, using a database to take funds. Brown said they prosecute those crimes and hold people accountable for their actions. They prosecute when it is in the public’s best interest, provided they have enough evidence.