A woman who faked having cancer to defraud a charity of over £85,000 has been jailed for more than four years. Patricia Robertshaw, 42, pretended she was undergoing radiotherapy to claim three months' sick pay from Yorkshire Cancer Research, where she worked as an events manager.
While off work, Robertshaw used fake degree certificates to apply for jobs at other companies, having used the same fraudulent documents to secure her role at the charity. York Crown Court heard she produced bogus certificates for a master's in science and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Leeds, and a master's in project management from Leeds Metropolitan University.
Prosecutors said the documents helped her negotiate a £10,250 pay rise, earning a total of £86,833 while working at the charity between September 2015 and November 2017. Her lies were uncovered when colleagues scanned QR codes on her sick notes and found them invalid.
Robertshaw pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud and one of forgery. Judge Andrew Stubbs QC sentenced her to four years and five months, saying: 'Embedded in the charity as you were, you would have known the good that money would have done.' He added that her claims of having cancer were 'as bogus as the qualifications you had used'.
The court also heard that in a previous role at Leeds Beckett University, Robertshaw forged invalid certificates for 55 students to save herself work, leading to the university paying £500 settlements to 36 students. Her defence lawyer said she had a history of mental health issues and expressed remorse.
