A former employee who defrauded her employer and colleagues out of tens of thousands of pounds by lying about having cancer has been given a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay back a nominal sum. CIPD People Management report that Ms Whitehead was given a 12-month suspended sentence after admitting two counts of fraud and was told return a nominal sum of £1 by a judge after a confiscation hearing determined she had no assets. The court heard that she lied to her employer by telling them she had stage four metastatic bone cancer and also lied to her partner and friends. The employer lent her £5,000 to fund private medical treatment and handed her almost £10,000 in sick pay. Her co-workers also donated £1,400 to charity in her name.

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