Joanne Connell, an HMRC worker, stole £200k to pay off her mortgage and other debts. She was sentenced to two years in jail.
Joanne worked in bankruptcy. She used inside info on HMRC’s system and added fake credits to taxpayer accounts. The taxpayers did not know.
Next, she moved those credits to her own bank. She cleared her £80,000 mortgage and also paid off other debts. This all happened near East Kilbride.
She pleaded guilty to embezzlement. The sheriff court in Hamilton sentenced her. A prosecutor spoke about Connell’s breach of trust; she abused her position badly.
The prosecutor stated Connell stole from taxpayers and accessed a database to do it. People exploiting funds will face justice. The law will prosecute such cases.
Connell worked for HMRC for about fifteen years and held varied roles within the agency. At the time, she was an administrator in the bankruptcy team.
The court heard about Connell’s actions. She made credits while working from home, using her HMRC laptop to do it and putting money into her bank account.
Her salary was paid into this same account. The stolen amounts increased over time, and she moved £35,000 in large chunks four times. She was arrested in March 2023.
Connell told police where the money went. She paid off her entire mortgage and settled other debts totaling tens of thousands. She had been ill and in the hospital.
She said she had trouble understanding instructions, but she stole funds during her illness. An HMRC investigation revealed her actions, and now they will try to recover the stolen money.