Published at 08:24, Friday, 29 June 2012

A woman who fraudulently obtained more than £80,000 from her two employers has been jailed.

Vanessa Decastro, 42, made payments to herself using false supplier names while she worked as a personal assistant and finance manager at Reiver Lodges Limited in Carlisle.

Decastro, of Border Close, Garlands, Carlisle, pleaded guilty to 11 charges of fraud and false representation when she appeared at Carlisle Crown Court. She was jailed for two years and eight months.

A judge heard she stole from both Reiver Lodges Limited and the Story Painting Group, where she worked. The offences took place between 2007 and 2011.

The amount she stole from Reiver Lodges Limited was £73,892.34 and £2,444.79 from the Story Painting Group.

In addition, she also dishonestly asked employer Robert Story for a £5,000 loan to pay for a sofa. Decastro then used this money to repay cash that she had previously stolen from Reiver Lodges Limited.

A proceeds of crime hearing, which will attempt to recover cash taken, will be held at a later date.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk