A bookkeeper who embezzled £1.4 million from a construction company over an 11-year period has been instructed to repay £256,805 or face additional time behind bars. Deborah Thorlby-Hall, 54, used her position to siphon funds into her personal bank account, financing a lavish lifestyle that included luxury holidays, a Harley Davidson motorcycle for her husband, a Range Rover Evoque, and home improvements.
The Fraud Scheme
Thorlby-Hall, who worked for SDE Group based in Stanfree and Staveley, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, began stealing in 2008, just three years after being hired as an accounts assistant. By then, she had been in charge of finances for 18 months and 'knew the system inside out,' according to Derby Crown Court. She created false invoices to disguise the transfers as 'payments to large suppliers.'
Her control over the company's finances strengthened after the finance director left, and she assumed the role, regularly attending directors' meetings. The court heard that she was 'never seen in the same outfit twice' and frequently had parcels delivered to the office, leading colleagues to believe her husband, a builder, was successful.
Lavish Spending
Thorlby-Hall spent the stolen money on a cruise, a trip to Barbados, £27,000 on the Postcode Lottery (winning £183,000), £28,000 on Amazon, £87,000 at Next, and gifted over £240,000 to her husband and son. She also purchased a Harley Davidson for her husband and made significant home improvements.
Discovery and Conviction
The fraud was uncovered when external accountants could not reconcile her books with bank statements. Despite the company's turnover increasing significantly, profitability did not rise accordingly. When interviewed in 2019, Thorlby-Hall attempted to blame an external accountant, who was herself arrested and interviewed by police.
While the investigation continued, Thorlby-Hall went on sick leave with stress and never returned. However, she later accessed the company accounts on a Sunday to make one final transfer of over £7,000 to herself. She was found guilty of fraud by abuse of position and false accounting and sentenced to six years in prison in October 2024.
Confiscation Order
At Derby Crown Court on Monday, Thorlby-Hall was handed a Confiscation Order totaling £256,805.33. She has three months to pay, or she will face additional prison time. The funds will be returned to the victim company.
Luke Clements of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Deborah Thorlby-Hall started stealing from her employer in 2008 and continued her crimes for over a decade. She abused her position and worked hard to ensure she wasn't discovered, while frittering away the stolen money on holidays, luxury vehicles, and gambling. We have ensured that she cannot continue to benefit from her crimes and that all her available assets can be rightly returned to the victim.'
Vicky Mee, current finance director of SDE Group, expressed the company's sense of betrayal, stating that the amount to be repaid is 'nothing' compared to what was stolen and the impact on the business. 'It's a family business; she had worked for the company for many years. They put a lot of trust in her, and it feels like a real betrayal,' she said.
