Enderby EYE

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Suspended Sentence for Dental Nurse who stole

£20,000 taken to 'brighten up' her life...

02 April 2008

Avenue Dental Practice on Stewart Avenue, Enderby
Enderby EYE

A dental nurse who stole more than £20,000 from her employers blew the cash on spending sprees and going out, Leicester Crown Court was told.

24yr old Sasha Dennis regularly took cheques from the business and paid them into her own account to "brighten up her life".

Dennis, who lives on Coleridge Drive in Enderby, admitted two offences of obtaining a money transfer by deception, one of fraud and asked for 23 similar offences to be considered, involving the theft of £20,813 between January 2006 and September last year.

Prosecutors told Leicester Crown Court that Dennis began working at the Avenue Dental Practice in Stewart Avenue, Enderby. in 2005.

Dennis, previously of good character, accepted full responsibility for taking the cheques to bolster her income - and repaid £600 which was all she had left in her bank account.

Her defence counsel, James Varley, said Dennis had become the victim of the "consumer society" and took the cash initially to pay off her credit cards, but then things just got easier.

"She spent the money on objects, nice things, clothes and going out", said Mr. Varley. "She did it to brighten up her life by going out and spending money."

Mr Varley added that Dennis was ashamed of the anxiety caused to her respectable churchgoing family.

Dennis had a credit card and went shopping and found herself in debt and panicked. Having access to a cheque book where she worked, she thought it would be an easy way to pay off her debts and made cheques out to herself. It was obvious she was going to get caught eventually.

Mr Varley went on to say that a family friend, knowing of the offences, had subsequently given her a £12,000-a-year job and shown trust in her.

In passing sentence, Recorder Robert Britton told Dennis:

"You've paid back £600, which isn't a lot, and I've taken into account you've secured a job."

Dennis was given a nine-month jail sentence which was suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £245 costs.

Associated links:

» The Avenue Dental Practice (Enderby EYE Business Listing)

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