Paralegal jailed for stealing over £11,000 from vulnerable clients in Poole

A paralegal who exploited her trusted role at a Poole law firm to steal thousands of pounds from two vulnerable men has been jailed.

Emma Charlotte Amey, 45, of Honeysuckle Lane in Poole, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by abuse of position at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 14 May 2025. She was sentenced to 20 months in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 11th of July.

The offences took place between October 2021 and October 2023 while Amey was working in the wills and probate department of a Poole-based law firm. Her role involved managing finances for clients for whom the firm held power of attorney- many were living in care homes.

Amey used her access to client accounts to steal a total of £11,568, fabricating cheque stubs and using debit cards for personal transactions and cash withdrawals.

The fraud came to light in February 2024 when a cheque made out to Amey for £3,400 was returned by a bank. The cheque stub had falsely listed a care company as the payee. When confronted by her employer, Amey admitted to altering cheques with erasable ink and misusing clients’ debit cards.

During sentencing, the judge condemned her actions as “despicable and contrived.”

Detective Constable Lucy Hale, from Dorset Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said:

“Emma Amey was entrusted with looking after the day-to-day finances of vulnerable individuals, and she abused that trust for her own gain. Her deliberate attempts to avoid detection show just how calculated her actions were.

“We are committed to ensuring that those who exploit others through fraud are held to account. This case highlights the serious harm financial abuse can cause, particularly when it undermines public trust in systems designed to protect the vulnerable.”