Former parish clerk sentenced for fraud of council

Lesley Tibble (52) of Foxglove Close, Yaxley, was found guilty of one count of fraud by abuse of position at a trial held at Cambridge Crown Court.

Tibble denied the charge, which related to £545.01 which belonged to the parish council. However, a jury returned a guilty verdict following the trial which lasted several days. The court heard the fraud took place between September 17, 2010 and February 2, 2012.

She was sentenced on Friday at Cambridge Crown Court, where Judge Peter Rook QC sentenced her to a community order for 12 months, 100 hours unpaid work and ordered her to pay compensation of £438.33 to Yaxley Parish Council, prosecution costs £200 and a victim surcharge £60.

A spokesman for the council said: “This case has taken some time, going through a discipline, appeal and employment tribunal. This resulted in the dismissal of Mrs Tibble as clerk of Yaxley Parish Council in May 2014.

“A police investigation found sufficient evidence, and a further transaction to add to the case, which satisfied the CPS in proceeding to court action.

“On the 10th November Mrs Tibble was found, by a unanimous verdict, guilty of fraud by abuse of position.

“A positive aspect of this action is that the council’s financial practices and procedures have been revised and improved to avoid a repetition of this, giving additional transparency and rigour.

“Finally, the Council’s thanks go to Cambridgeshire Constabulary for their thorough investigation and diligence in pursuing this case to prosecution.”