A SCHEMING school governor who pocketed Comic Relief cash raised by young pupils is beginning a prison term.
Trusted finance officer Amanda Cauldwell, 31, stole around é12,000 from the Bolton primary school where she worked and spent it on an extravagant lifestyle including luxury foreign holidays. She fiddled overtime forms, siphoned off cash from a book fair, pinched a é175 deposit raised for a staff Christmas party, took é681 contributed by parents towards school trips - and even raided the dinner ladies' Christmas saving fund.
But her most sickening crime came when she stole more than é1,000 raised by pupils who staged a sponsored walk and other events for the Comic Relief charity.
Today she is behind bars after a Bolton Crown Court judge sentenced her to eight months in jail for her "cold and calculating" crimes. The court heard her deception had stunned staff and parents at the 500-pupil Lever Edge County Primary School.
Head teacher Frances Barry said many of the children came from deprived backgrounds where parents would go without at home to help their education.
She told the court: "It is fair to say that the parental base are among the least affluent members of the area and no doubt every penny of their income is vital to their day-to-day lives.
"It was always wondered where her money was coming from. Now we know. She has knocked this school for six."
Cauldwell, 31, of Ivanhoe Court, Bolton, now an assistant to a leading professor at Manchester University, admitted 18 counts of theft.
She worked as a classroom assistant then as an administrative officer before becoming finance officer in June 2001. She worked at the school for a total of seven years and was appointed a school governor.
The court was told the offences occurred between December 2003 and February 2005 when she left to take up the university post.
Cauldwell covered her tracks by writing school cheques out to the petty cash account, which effectively deprived the school of funds at the same time as lining her own pockets. An investigation found she had written cheques totalling é3,631.
Trust
Adrian Farrow, prosecuting, said: "She held a position of high regard and trust within the school family. She took advantage of her access to the school's finances and records and her trusted position in order to steal from the school and funds held by the school."
He said the deception came crashing down when a é2,568 cheque drawn out to the school for a supplier raised suspicion.
A local authority investigation found she had claimed around é1,200 in overtime payments to which she was not entitled.
Cauldwell had also taken é650 from a fund set up by dinner ladies and kitchen staff to save up for Christmas.
She took a é175 deposit which had been raised to pay a hotel for a staff Christmas party and also pocketed money pupils had paid for books at a book fair.
But the most shocking crime was the theft of more than é1,000 pupils had raised for Comic Relief.
Head teacher Mrs Barry said pupils would never be told where the money went.
The court heard Cauldwell, who earned around é20,000 a year, refused to comment in police interviews and was charged. It was discovered she had used some of her cash to pay for expensive holidays to New York and Spain.
David Farley, defending, said Cauldwell, who is married to a warehouse worker and has a 22-year-old stepdaughter, was heavily in debt throughout the period of her deceit.
"She is ashamed and embarrassed," he said.
"She has admitted the allegations quite bravely and accepted what she did. She proffers a genuine feeling of remorse."
Recorder Nicholas Clarke QC told Cauldwell, who was sobbing as she was led away: "You stole to satisfy your greed.
"Then, in a cold and calculating way, you tried to cover your tracks."
Cauldwell is also facing hearings under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover the money.
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How come she gets a jail term over ??12000 yet that other guy who stole rare books from the library got community service, and that was for 200Ks worth of stuff....
she's that sorry that she stole time and time again? I hope they get the money back off her, what a lowlife.
Don't think she'll be welcome back in Bolton when she comes out somehow. What a horrible piece of work.
we don't really know what lay behind her stealing but sentence seems harsh compared to library guy who got off.
How does the judicial system work in this country? One rule for one and one for another?
As someone who knows Amanda, I am deeply shocked and upset this morning to hear of this news. She has always acted in such a kind and caring way towards everyone, and i literally did NOT believe it when i heard.
As someone who knows Mandy, I am shocked to hear this. Although a lot of people are quick to judge, good people can do bad things when times are desperate. I know Mandy better than most people and it sickens me to think that she is painted as a cold hearted callous person who lived an extravagant livestyle! I'm not going to pretend what she did wasn't wrong, but she was going through a very tough time. She had tried to pay the money back and was making up for her crimes. NO WAY DID SHE DESERVE JAIL. In knowing the truth, I know i will not trust the printed word again.
Well Chris from Manchester I think your comments are biased because you know Mandy, understandably, she's your friend. She may have been desperate, its true good people can do some desperate things in certain situations, however, this article says she used the money for two holidays! I don't think mandy is a hardend criminal at all, but I do think after 18 counts of theft she deserved an appropriate punishment. You know she will only serve a quarter of that sentence, the real punishment is her being named and shamed and having to live with what she's done. Its a shame that this has happend, and I hope she has learned from it. I mean if you can't trust those closest to you, who can you trust? Good Luck for the future Mandy, I hope you are not judged to harshly..
What rubbish to defend this woman. People including kids put their hearts into fund raising and their trust into this woman. She offended time and again. Plenty of people fall on hard times but dont stoop to these levels!
I know Amanda very well. I stand bymy opinion that she is a good person, she has done wrong, but guess what people make mistakes. You are naive if you believe that you can automatically cast a judgment- without knowing the circumstance. Amanda is NOT a low life, she has no extravagant lifestyle , she simply got over her head and wanted to find away out .I'm not justifying what she did, but it is not up to anyone to say why she did these things. Amanda is not proud of herself and has to live with the shame. I assure you that she will be welcome back in Bolton because that is her home! no one has the right to take that away from her. Amanda is not a mass murderer, not everything you read in the paper is true. I will proudly stand by Amanda regardless of peoples opinions. She did not deserve to go to jail.
Its a bit harsh giving her a prison sentence over 12K. People get away with community service for much worse crimes. Its sad that the woman had to steel but who knows what was going on in her life at the time. I am not making excuses for her,what she did was wrong but I cant help thinking that there's more too it. she's hardly a hardened criminal.
I am sorry but those who claim to know this woman cannot say they really knew her, if she can go around doing all this in front of your face. Chris says she was going through a bad time when all this happened, and knowing her so well they claim to do then they must have known she was in debt, yet the lavish holidays she took didn't seem to ring any alarm bells?. She got what she deserved, she would have been aware the kids in that school come from depirved backgrounds and that giving to charity was the last thing they could afford to do but they still did. I hope they recover the money from her plus interest and whole lot more as she is the lowest of the low! Get over it people who claim she has been unfairly treated, this went on for years and she got caught and has been duly dealt with.
She's been through a tough time and regrets her actions, but holidays in New York and Spain won't gain her much support and understanding.
As always when someone is imprisoned, it's the family and friends who suffer as well.
To the people who say they know her, people everyday struggle to get by and make ends meet, but they don't go stealing off a school, its children, staff and parents there.
Her apology came too late, she shouldn't have done it in the first place. Do not make excuses for a thief, which is what she is!!
Anon (her friend) says she has always acted in a kind and caring way... how is stealing thousands from so many people kind and caring?
As for Chris and his defence of her, a good friend I accept, but do not make excuses for someone who has been convicted of the crime.
'Good people do bad things when they are desperate' desperate for cash... i'd love a holiday but if I can't afford one I don't go away on holiday. I don't go and steal so I get my own way!
I'm sure many people reading this have been though tough times... in the future when I have a tough time how's about I rip you all off by lies and deciet?
Can't have any sympathy with her. It wasn't even as though it was a 'one off' event. At 31, she's old enough to know very well that what she was doing is not only criminal, but extremely wrong, and all from people who were least able to afford it.
To be honest, I don't think eight months is anywhere long enough for her to learn a lesson.
Seems that we still have weak financial control systems in schools. This is one of several which have occurred recently and appear to take place over a period of time. Where is the regular auditing practice schools?
She would have done better selling the school library on Ebay. But hey! you have to steal big to get a light sentence.
Those of you who "know" this thing obviously dont!. ¿¿20,000 a year and she still thieves from kids, yes kids! she deserves ten years for her greed! given she`s landed herself, what will probably be, another high payed job, then she can afford to pay back what she stole!. and yes, I totally agree with comments on the book nicker, Why was he given a slap on the wrist for his deseption?theft. Who said crime does not pay???!!!.
Im a good person, but when i was at school and was naughty i got detention. I know now that being naughty can get me in trouble with the police and even end up in jail. The punishment fits the crime. Besides she'll be out in half the time. I hope she doesnt come out of prison a hardened criminal.