An Oxfordshire school business manager defrauded her employers by writing cheques to herself and forging the signatures.
Melissa Murphy, 31, of Waverley Avenue, Kidlington, admitted two offences of fraud by abuse of position and one of theft by employee when she appeared at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 25th February 2025.
Fraud by abuse of position is an offence under section 4 of the Fraud Act 2006. It has a maximum sentence of 12 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction; 10 years' custody and/or an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment.
Magistrates heard that Murphy was working at Bladon Church of England Primary School, Woodstock, when the offences took place between 1st January 2023 and 12th June 2024.
In addition to the dodgy cheques, there is mention that Murphy carried out bank transfers between the school account and her own.
The theft offence has a value of £999.98, but there is no mention of the value of the fraud offences.
Given that matters have been sent to the Crown Court for sentencing, I would suggest that there is significant information about the fraud offences that has gone unreported.
If it was just a case of the £999.98 then that could have been comfortably sentenced at the Magistrates' Court.
Murphy was granted unconditional bail until her sentencing hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Monday, 14th April 2025.
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