British grandmother stole Sh79 million from work to satisfy the needs of her African toy boy

A British woman who fell for a younger man on holiday in Egypt was duped into stealing Sh79 million from work to give him for a property deal.

Grandmother Sheena Warner, 65, met the local hotel owner in 2012 and began sending cash after he suggested "something romantic might happen".

Gloucester Crown Court heard she was so "flattered" by the attention she sold all her possessions and even her home and car to send money - leaving her with "just the clothes she was wearing".

But when that ran out she started stealing from work - over £500,000 which was supposed to be used to pay wages and taxes.

She spent the money on up to three holidays a year to see him and fund a property deal, the court was told.

Warner has now been jailed and Alison Scott-Jones, mitigating, told the court that she had fallen for the charms of a younger man who had "duped' her.

She said: "The owner of the business had a document drawn up which she signed immediately. Her home, her car and all her private goods - they were all sold.

"She was effectively left in the clothes she stood up in. She has lost everything as a consequence. My client fell into a trap.

"She was flattered by the attention of a young man. He sweet talked her into thinking things would happen.

"She is very embarrassed. She got herself into what she thought was a long term relationship."

The court heard Warner used her position of trust to siphon money from three companies and into her own bank between January 2009 and November 2013.

She plundered £514,000 from Cotswold Stone Quarries Ltd, Cotswold Quarries Ltd and Shelton Development, all of which are owned by Julian Palmer.

She then splashed the cash on three holidays a year to Egypt, even investing in property in the country in 2012.

Appearing at Gloucester Crown Court today, she pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Handing her the sentence, Recorder Gordon Bebb QC, said: "You were in a position of trust.

"You were responsible for paying wages and dealing with VAT and HMRC, amongst other things. You paid in cheques. You were trusted by Mr Palmer.

"And you were trusted by the banks. The only reason you were caught is because the company went into a significant overdraft.

"You used the money to fund your own lifestyle. You didn't need the money. You used it for holidays and a property development in Egypt.

"You brought the company to its knees. You have given Mr Palmer the worst six months of his life."

The court heard how Warner had been employed by Palmer since 1999 as a secretary.

In 2007 she was promoted to his personal assistant where she was given access to the company's finances.

With control of the cheque book, she would pay money into her own account, leaving the companies owing thousands to HMRC and with significant overdrafts.

In 2013 alone, Warner, of Evesham, Worcester, took more than £100,000. She would make false entries into the account books, often under different names.

Warner was only caught when Natwest got in touch with Mr Palmer to ask about a £20,000 overdraft.

Alastair Haggerty, prosecuting, said: "When Mr Palmer ordered bank statements, it became apparent she had stolen £514,000 since 2009.

"Further enquiries revealed there was £40,000 of unpaid bills and the company owed £223,000 to HMRC.

"Miss Weaver had spent it on herself rather than inland revenue.

"There was clearly an amount of planning. It exploited the high level of trust and autonomy she had.

"The money was used to pay bills, for the house and holidays in Egypt. She would have three holidays a year to Egypt.

"She sent some of the money to the hotel owner to pay for a building complex she had invested in, using money she had stolen, in 2012."

When questioned over the matter, Warner immediately admitted the fraud.

She even signed all of her property and possessions over to Mr Palmer to recoup £142,000 of the costs.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Palmer said: "My life has changed considerably.

"We thought we would be talking about retirement at this point.

"The stress was too much for [my wife] Sandra, who left me and moved back to Devon. I've lost two stone in weight.

"I have been advised it will take three years to get straight. I wanted to enjoy my retirement. I wanted to travel and shoot but now I have to work.

"I have known Sheena for 15 years. The betrayal is as bad as the actual stealing. I never thought she would steal from me."