Employee who faked cancer at work ordered to pay back £1

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.

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.


This update provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. Where employment tribunal and appellate court cases are reported, the information does not set out all of the facts, the legal arguments presented and the judgments made in every aspect of the case. Click on the links to access full details. If no link is provided, contact us for more information.  Employment law is subject to constant change either by statute or by interpretation by the courts. While every care has been taken in compiling this information, SM&B cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Specialist legal advice must be taken on any legal issues that may arise before embarking upon any formal course of action.

Read more

Latest News

Read More

Navigating the summer holidays as a working parent/caregiver

28 July 2025

Culture

28 July 2025

In today’s fast-paced work environment, emotional intelligence (EI) is a must-have skill for HR leaders. It's the key to building stronger relationships, enhancing communication, resolving...

Change Management

26 July 2025

Communicating redundancy proposals is a profoundly challenging task, which directly impacts the lives of those who are leaving. It can also have a ripple effect...

Newsletter

Receive the latest HR news and strategic content

Please note, as per the GDPR Legislation, we need to ensure you are ‘Opted In’ to receive updates from ‘theHRDIRECTOR’. We will NEVER sell, rent, share or give away your data to third parties. We only use it to send information about our products and updates within the HR space To see our Privacy Policy – click here

Latest HR Jobs

University of Sussex – Human Resources Salary: £25,733 to £29,179. Grade 4, per annum, pro rata if part time This provides summary information and comment

UCL – Chemistry Department / Faculty of Mathematical & Physical SciencesSalary: £54,172 to £63,752 This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered.

University of Oxford – Department of PsychiatrySalary: £31,459 to £36,616 (discretionary range to £39,749) per annum. Grade 5 This provides summary information and comment on

Loughborough University – Human ResourcesSalary: £46,735 to £55,755 per annum. Subject to annual pay award. This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE