Frimley woman avoids jail after admitting stealing over £24k from school charity
She was the treasurer of the Friends of the Grove (FOG) Parent Teacher Association at the time.
Last updated 19th Nov 2020
A woman from Frimley has admitted she stole more than £24,000 from a school charity.
Danielle Smith, 42, of Frimley, was the treasurer of the Friends of the Grove (FOG) Parent Teacher Association at the time.
She appeared at Guildford Crown Court on 6 November and was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.
She admitted taking the money over a three year period by transferring money from the FOG account into one linked to her, as well as taking cash from events held by the charity for the children.
The matter was reported to Surrey Police which carried out a full and thorough investigation.
She initially only pleaded guilty to online theft but, faced with the overwhelming evidence against her, eventually changed her plea to guilty for 12 counts of theft of cash.
Investigating officer PC Roxy Hudson said:
“Not only did she take a large amount of cash from the school’s charity bank account over a substantial period of time, she also lied about it and tried to blame it on other people who had assisted at the various events held to raise money for the school.
"She clearly abused her position of trust and took money that was raised in good faith to improve the facilities at the school and provide essential equipment for the children.
"She has done this for her own gain and this is simply unacceptable.”
She was also ordered to fulfil a 25 day rehabilitation requirement, carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work and pay a victim surcharge.