This is the face of the fraudster mum who stole around £100K from her employers
Ely mum Nicola Hayter even used the company credit card at Legoland
Anna Savva
Nicola Hayter
A mum who stole around £100,000 from her Ely employers has been jailed for more than three years at the Old Bailey.
Nicola Hayter, of Carey Close, in Ely, worked as a bookkeeper for construction company Retrofit UK from 2009 to 2016.
Hayter's daughter, Emily Griffiths, 26, of Capper Road, Waterbeach, also worked for Retrofit for a period of time.
Investigations revealed Hayter overpaid her daughter's wages and transferred her even more money from the company's bank account when she was no longer working there.
Hayter had also used the company's bank account to pay for Griffiths's house to be cleaned.
The 52-year-old and her daughter also used a company credit card to fund Legoland rides, vets bills, a private car number plate and house cleaners.
Both Hayter and Griffiths stood trial at Cambridge Crown Court in January. Hayter pleaded guilty to theft while the trial was ongoing and jurors later found Griffiths guilty of possessing criminal property.
On January 11 Griffiths was sentenced to 34 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to complete a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Hayter was released on police bail and given the chance to repay the money she stole.
On Tuesday (June 18) she was sentenced at The Old Bailey in London where she was handed three years and six months in prison.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing will take place on July 9.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
In January 2016 the company held a suspension meeting with Hayter because she'd taken a loan from them and had asked for £600 but then taken a further £3,000.
Hayter had also used the company's trade account to purchase personal items, Cambridge Crown Court heard.
Retrofit also found Hayter overpaid her own bonuses and spent even more money on the trade account.
She spent large amounts on the company credit card each month, but had been paying the bills off at the end of the month to avoid being caught.
In police interview, Hayter admitted spending some money on the company's card but suggested others also used it.
She admitted transferring Griffiths £8,500 to 'help her out' but said she was going to pay it back.
Hayter told officers she had overpaid her own bonus by mistake and claimed she had upped the limit on the company's card to pay the company's bills.
When Griffiths was interviewed, she also admitted using the company card at Legoland as well as for car repairs and new tyres.
However, she claimed Hayter had the authority to let other people use it.
DC Kate Housham said: "Hayter and Griffiths used the business's bank card for their own gain with absolutely no consideration for others as they stole from their own employer.
"This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it in our communities.
"Their actions have caused their colleagues a lot of distress and I hope they will now reflect on the effect they have had on the people around them."
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