Secretary Jailed For Expenses Scam

A PA with accountancy giants Price Waterhouse Coopers - obsessed with being the centre of attention - has been jailed for nine months for a £33,000 expenses scam.

The scandal rocked the company's Birmingham HQ after single Angela Jayne Tilling, 44, also claimed she had a five-year affair with her married boss, who later made partial admissions of a sexual relationship.

Tilling, (pic.top) who lived with her parents at Heronway, Rednal, Birmingham conned the company into bankrolling a £50,000 celebrity appearance at their Christmas bash in a bid to boost her popularity.

She was a respected employee at their offices in Cornwall Court, 19 Cornwall Street and for years ripped-off the company behind the back of her boss John Minards (pic.bottom) - a full partner.

"She was a woman approaching middle-age, unmarried, without children and living with her parents and was essentially quite lonely," Tilling's QC Francis Laird told Isleworth Crown Court.

"There is plenty of scope, reading between the lines, that they were having an affair," added the QC. "They shared hotel rooms and he does admit sexual contact with her over a number of years, but denies full sexual intercourse.

"Some of the money was used to provide entertainment for others because what this lady craved was the respect of others.

"She liked to be the centre of attention, providing days and nights out, and the celebrity guest reflects that and it was described as the best party the company had ever known.

"She is a lonely lady who bought the friendship and affection of people with whom she worked. It was not salted away for a rainy day."

The prosecution began as a £167,000 scam involving a trip to Paris for the 2007 rugby world cup, plus a Malaga business conference, but those charges were dropped.

Tilling has not paid any compensation to the company.

She pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud, which often involved Tilling mirroring a genuine expenses claim to generate a second payment to herself supported by forged documents and e-mails.

Tilling falsely claimed £2,183.50 expenses for a 47-head staff lunch at Birmingham's Hotel Du Vin on December 7 2004 and £2,146.23 for a company hotel conference in June 2005.

She blew a strict £25,000 budget when organising the company's Christmas party on December 22 2005, fraudulently transferring two £29,375 payments to cover the celebrity guest's £50,000 appearance fee.

Tilling also falsely claimed a £15,000 payment by lying that she had paid the sum as a deposit to secure the guest - who the prosecution and booking agency refuse to name.

She was also paid a further £5,581.25 in bogus expenses on October 17 2006 and £3,706 in June that year for Solihull College support staff.

In December 2007 she fraudulently claimed £2,225 for 60 theatre tickets at Birmingham's Hippodrome - another company beano she organised.

An internal probe exposed Tilling and she was suspended in March 2008, resigned in May and was arrested during a dawn raid on January 13 2009.

When quizzed she denied acting dishonestly, claiming her behaviour was an attempt to prevent John Minards' wife spotting suspicious payments on his credit card.

Square Mile News, which had the only reporter in court heard Judge Richard McGregor-Thompson tell tearful Tilling, who dabbed away tears throughout the hearing: "It can never give the court any pleasure at all to deal with someone of your age and unblemished character.

"You were trusted to deal with expenses for very senior people in this organisation and submitted a variety of false documentation to get them paid.

"You used the proceeds to buy friendship and affection and knew from the time of your arrest you were guilty, but chose to lie and only pleaded guilty six weeks before your trial."