A MEDICAL secretary stole more than £380,000 by carrying out a series of frauds including diverting payments to doctors for private work into her own account.
And since dishonest Diane Wilson was arrested, her bank accounts have been frozen pending a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Appearing at Warwick Crown Court in a wheelchair, Wilson, of Laurel Drive, Stockton, near Southam, was excused going into the dock, which has a step, as she entered her pleas.
The 53-year-old pleaded guilty to obtaining money transfers by deception between April 2005 and January 2007 and five later charges of fraud.
The court heard the first offence involved her obtaining a total of £44,116.50 by representing that 21 cheques were being used in settlement of secretarial work by another person.
Between then and April 2010 Wilson fraudulently obtained £69,259 by falsely claiming to a consultant surgeon that 20 cheques were to be used in payments for secretarial work.
The four further frauds, committed over a period ending in 2014, involved her making false representations to Bupa and to Axa PPP Healthcare by instructing them to make payments due to two consultants for private work into her own account.
Prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith, who indicated Wilson had no previous convictions, said: “The prosecution case is that she has stolen £385,000 over an eight-year period.”
Jane Brady, defending, who said Wilson had ‘complex heath needs,’ asked for sentencing to be adjourned for a psychological assessment to be carried out on her and for pre-sentence and medical reports to be prepared.
Agreeing to that, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano told Wilson: “You have pleaded guilty, and you will have to be sentenced in due course, but there clearly need to be more reports.
Mr Grieves-Smith said there would also need to be a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act, and Miss Brady pointed out that Wilson’s bank accounts had been frozen since her arrest.
Adjourning the case, Judge de Bertodano granted Wilson bail with a condition that she co-operates with the preparation of the reports.
