Maesteg Town Clerk Convicted of £200k Fraud

The former clerk fleeced at least £200,000 from Maesteg Town Council.

Margaret Buckley, 76, of Llwydarth Road, Maesteg, admitted a charge of fraud by abuse of position when she appeared at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 30th June 2022.

Her conviction comes a day after news that Joanne Wills, the former clerk of Chinnor and Towersley Parish Councils in Oxfordshire, was jailed for four years for defrauding £162,000 from those bodies.

Fraud by abuse of position is an offence under section 4 of the Fraud Act 2006. It has a maximum penalty of 12 months' custody on summary conviction; 10 years' custody on conviction on indictment.

Magistrates heard that Buckley, who walked into court with the aid of a walking frame, started as a deputy clerk at Maesteg Town Council in 2003 before being promoted to clerk in 2016 when her predecessor retired. She then held the position until she retired in 2020.

Simone Walsh, prosecuting, outlined the circumstances: "From 2015 to 2020 she made out over 120 cheques from Maesteg Town Council to herself, her daughter, the Our Lady & St Patrick Church, and the church flower group without the knowledge of the council. She made full admissions in an interview.

"Ms Buckley abused her position of power by defrauding her long-term employer and carried out the offence over a significant period of time. The sentence is beyond the remit of this court due to the amount of money involved in this case."

John McCarthy, acting for Buckley, added: "There may be an issue with the amount but she accepts it was at least £200,000. We will see what happens in Crown Court."

Magistrates agreed that the circumstances of the offence meant their sentencing powers were insufficient. Accordingly, they sent the matter to Cardiff Crown Court for completion.

Magistrates ordered the preparation of a pre-sentence report to assist the Judge in sentencing.

Buckley was granted unconditional bail until her sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, 14th July 2022.

Maesteg is a small town with a population of just under 20,000. By her own admission, Buckley has just picked each of their pockets to the tune of £10.

Shameful.