Mother-of-two who stole more than £200,000 from her employer to fund her husband's drug habit is jailed
A mother-of-two who stole over £200,000 from a prestigious Liverpool law firm in a desperate attempt to fund her husband's drug addiction wept in the dock as she was jailed this week.
Rachel Wilson, 43, betrayed the trust of her long-time employers during a four-year fraud campaign and was only caught out when she took a holiday and a colleague uncovered her lies.
The disgraced head cashier, who had worked at Liverpool Legal Services Ltd (formerly Rex Makin and Co) for 16 years, wiped away tears as she was sentenced to two years and two months in prison on Wednesday at Liverpool Crown Court.
Wearing a black hoodie over a floral dress, glasses perched on her nose and her long blonde hair draped over her shoulders, Wilson cried out 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' to her family in the public gallery as she was led away.
Her father blew her a kiss in return, while her son reassured her with the words: 'Don't be sorry. Love you mum.'
The court heard that Wilson from Southport, began siphoning off funds as early as April 2020, orchestrating 89 bogus payments worth more than £13,500 to bank and savings accounts in her own name, disguised as payments to 'external consultants'.
Prosecutor Joanne Maxwell explained that she had also fabricated and cashed cheques totalling a staggering £196,000, under the pretence of paying for office necessities like postage and furniture.
Her deceit unravelled in August 2024 when a colleague covering for her during annual leave spotted financial discrepancies, prompting an internal investigation.
Wilson, a mother to a teenage daughter and adult son, confessed during a disciplinary hearing the following month.
She made full admissions again when interviewed by police, stating she had acted out of desperation to support her husband's drug dependency.
Lloyd Morgan, defending, said: 'This is a 43-year-old woman who has not been in trouble before and faces a very serious situation.
'It is one that she is extremely remorseful about. She is ashamed of her behaviour and acting so fraudulently for such a long time in a trusted position.'
He continued: 'I will not go into the behaviour to which she was subjected. She made nothing out of this fraud. There was no lavish lifestyle. There are no assets of any sort. She is working again now. It was done to fund her husband's drug addiction, without going into any further detail.'
The court also heard how Wilson had taken steps to turn her life around, voluntarily undergoing cognitive behavioural therapy and receiving treatment for anxiety and depression.
Mr Morgan added: 'She felt that she had no choice and made a terrible decision and a bad decision. She felt that she did not have any other way out.
'She has a daughter living at the house. There will be a significant effect on her, were she to be deprived of her mother's presence in that house.'
Recorder Mark Ainsworth acknowledged the difficult circumstances Wilson faced but stressed that the breach of trust and scale of the fraud meant custody was inevitable.
He told her: 'For the vast majority of your adult life, you have been working for the firm that became Liverpool Legal Services Ltd, a well-known firm of solicitors operating here in Liverpool. You were operating as their head cashier.'
'When you were confronted by the firm, you admitted what you had done. You have not tried to prevaricate or avoid blame since these matters came to light, and I bear that in mind.'
'It is clear that you were taking this money not for high living or anything of that nature. You were faced with a difficult situation and sought to deal with it in this dishonest way.'
He added: 'Any business that loses £200,000, or thereabouts, is going to suffer. There is also the impact on others who are perfectly innocent. I have in mind both of your children but particularly your daughter, who is 14 years of age and who will be impacted by what may happen in this case.'
Wilson pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position.
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