A financial assistant who stole £113,000 while she was working for disabled people’s charity Bradnet has been warned to expect a jail sentence.
A judge told Bhupinder Kaur it was “an eye-watering amount of money” when she pleaded guilty to the theft at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.
Her barrister, Matthew Harding, conceded a jail sentence was “almost inevitable” but asked for an adjournment for a probation service report.
Kaur, 25, admitted stealing £113,043 from Bradnet between May 25 last year and January 20. The charity, based in Laisterdyke, champions the rights, welfare and causes of people with disabilities.
Prosecutor John Bull asked Judge Scott Wolstenholme to set a timetable for confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Mr Harding said financial documents were seized by the police from Kaur’s home when she was arrested.
He asked the judge to renew her bail until she is sentenced on October 28.
Judge Wolstenholme expressed concern that Kaur, of West Park Drive West, Roundhay, Leeds, might not turn up again at court, asking: “I don’t know if she is planning any holidays?”
But Mr Harding said she had been told already she was likely to be imprisoned.
“She lives with her parents and her husband and has strong ties to the community,” he said.
Judge Wolstenholme told Kaur: “This is an eye-watering amount of money that you have stolen from a charity. It is a very serious case.”
Bradnet which is based in Bradford Lane, Laisterdyke, confirmed Kaur had been an employee but said it did not want to comment on the case until she is sentenced next month.
In July, the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Naveeda Ikram, announced she was no longer supporting Bradnet through her appeal but making Marie Curie Cancer Care the sole benefactor of her year of office.
At that time she said: “It is with great regret that I am no longer supporting Bradnet through the Lord Mayor's Appeal.
“I am very sorry for the effect this will have on the people within the community who benefit from their work. I can assure the residents of Bradford that all of the funds raised through the Lord Mayor's office will be passed on to my other nominated charity.”
The Charity Commission said Bradnet had reported the matter to it and it was satisfied with the action taken by trustees.
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