View Full Version : Wick gala embezzler gets more time to pay
Wick gala embezzler Karen Spruce of stornoway, who was treasure of the wick town Improvements Association when she lived in Wick, has been allowed an extra 18 months to pay off the money she still owes.
She was convicted of embezzling £22,000 and at Wick sheriff Court last year she was ordered to pay back the money within 18 months or face a prison sentence.
At Stornoway Sheriff court yesterday she was given an extra 18 months, not prison. How unfair is the justice system. The former Wick Town Improvements committee are now facing having to pay this outstanding amount themselves.
I think we should all make official complaints about this to stornoway Sherriff Court and get justice done for wick.
teddybear1873
13-Oct-11, 14:23
Wick gala embezzler Karen Spruce of stornoway, who was treasure of the wick town Improvements Association when she lived in Wick, has been allowed an extra 18 months to pay off the money she still owes.
She was convicted of embezzling £22,000 and at Wick sheriff Court last year she was ordered to pay back the money within 18 months or face a prison sentence.
At Stornoway Sheriff court yesterday she was given an extra 18 months, not prison. How unfair is the justice system. The former Wick Town Improvements committee are now facing having to pay this outstanding amount themselves.
I think we should all make official complaints about this to stornoway Sherriff Court and get justice done for wick.
If someone is guilty of a crime, they should be punished, not given 18 months to pay it off. I would have given her at least 300hrs of Community Service.
When Sheriff Berry gave his judgement I do not imagine he every thought the person being sentenced would go to another court and plead poverty and his sentence be made a mockery. Shows this person knows every move that can be made in the legal system and the social work system too.
This is a really good example of - HOW TO GET AN INTEREST FREE LOAN
Wonder how many of the towns business people who put their money in to rescue the Gala on the year this embezzler was discovered are looking for AN INTEREST FREE LOAN to help their businesses in these very hard times.
I suggest the folk of Wick should INDIVIDUALLY write to Stornoway Sheriff Court with a letter of COMPLAINT and ask why no order of recompense - even a £5 a week was asked for.
£400 in over a year makes a mockery of £9,500 in 18 months - this person knew her employers would be unable to retain a person who ADMITTED and was found guilty of embezzling £22,000, why did she not save some money during the time until she finally decided to appear in court and was eventually sentenced?
She was living in Stornoway before being charged and before any court proceedings started.
She may run but you cannot hide from Caithness folk - they will always find you, wherever you may think you have hidden!
riggerboy
13-Oct-11, 17:55
your right there pat, its a fecking disgrace what shes done and getting away with it, maybe she should sell her nice new car or take one less holiday a year,
exactly. Or sell a house!
teddybear1873
13-Oct-11, 21:38
exactly. Or sell a house!
Or sell herself!
What Teddybear - sell her body or sell 'her story' to a Sunday paper?
I have heard enough of 'Her Story' and fairy tales have more truth in them in my opinion.
There have been 444 folk viewed this post but are you all frightened to say something or are you waiting for someone else to move into Wick and take YOUR money.
Do you realise THIS IS YOUR MONEY and Wick town could do with the money to help out the next Gala and support various things in YOUR community so that YOU will not have to dig so deep in your pockets at the next Gala.
There have been 444 folk viewed this post but are you all frightened to say something or are you waiting for someone else to move into Wick and take YOUR money.
Are we all 'frightened'? - bit of an overreaction there Pat.
OK she's now over to your side of Scotland, but I'm sure we're not 'frightened to say something'.. of course it's wrong what she did, and the courts are sometimes idiots, so what would be better? shove her in Nick and get no money. She had to find over £1,200 a month for 18 months - could you do that?
A Stornoway resident who embezzled £22,000 from a community cause has been placed on 18 months probation for 18 months. Karen Spruce, of 4 Mill Street, Stornoway, must also undertake 240 hours of community service.. The 55-year-old, now working as a classroom assistant on Lewis was ordered to repay all the money she stole from the Wick Gala funds between April 2005 and June 2008. So far she has repaid £12,500. Her community service will be undertaken on Lewis.
Bekisman
When she last appeared in court another amount of money was going to be forthcoming in the next very short time - what happened to that?
If a person is unemployed and get a fine in court, they are eventually made to pay so much a week but no such provision has been made in this case.
I certainly would not like her to go to prison - easy way out and no pay back for the community.
The community require this money and other office bearers I understand are being pursued by Highland Council for the money.
She has admitted taking the money and been convicted - so time she paid something, £400 in nearly 16 months is a mockery of her sentence.
Bekisman
This person has been attending and is still attending college - to get further qualifications.
If there was any serious intention of paying back this money she would have made the effort to get work here in the Western Isles or as she has stated on the Mainland.
She is going to stretch this as far as possible (as she did her court appearance) and without really making real effort to repay the outstanding monies.
This is no little innocent chick - she is a very very wiley old vixen.
riggerboy
14-Oct-11, 14:57
o lets all face it, its an awful shame the thief lost her job coz shes a thief, cannot get another job because ,,,,o wait a minute ,,,, shes a low life lying thief,,,,, i do wonder why the employers arent knocking down her door,,, o yes i remember now ,, its coz shes a lying thief, it wont matter what education or further education she has at the end of the day shes a liar and thief, i do wonder if she is in further education to better improve her embezzeling skills, in another 18 months is she going to try and steal more time , with the """" i`m still looking for work, but cant get any coz i`m a low life lying thief """"" card, lets just face it, she will get away scott free and will carry on telling lies to try and gain employment, i reckon we should go to her door and hang her high from my mobile gallows,
is say
hang her hang her
hang her hang her
hang her hang her
hang her high
She dose not have a car or a house to her name my bro has them an he worked hard all his life for so y should he sale them for her embezzlement and what about the 10,000 when this all started it was 32,000 so did the anther person who could sign chq get down for that
Chip
Bit of an amendment on my earlier post #8. Due to further information received, which cannot be disclosed on a public website, I agree; shove her in Jail..
I had no inside information of what had actually happened, but my post was purely a reaction to saying we're frightened.. BUT I must admit, being outside the County in question, especially the Town, the silence is deafening from those who are or have been affected.. I think Riggerboy may well have the possible answer..
What Teddybear - sell her body or sell 'her story' to a Sunday paper?
I have heard enough of 'Her Story' and fairy tales have more truth in them in my opinion.
There have been 444 folk viewed this post but are you all frightened to say something or are you waiting for someone else to move into Wick and take YOUR money.
Do you realise THIS IS YOUR MONEY and Wick town could do with the money to help out the next Gala and support various things in YOUR community so that YOU will not have to dig so deep in your pockets at the next Gala.
Pat, I hear your anger and frustration and I'm not frightened to say something.
I've followed this case through the reporting of it in the press and, yes, it angers and frustrates me too that someone who had gained the trust and respect of the stalwarts of the Wick Gala Committee rewarded them in such a shameful manner. What I will not do is become a member of the "Hang her High Brigade".
The Laws of Scotland are there for a purpose and it's up to the Courts to deal with Karen Spruce, not us as individuals. I would add here that I have never been a member of the Wick Gala Committee. I've always been delighted to add to their coffers each year in Gala Week in appreciation of their efforts and will continue to do so. :o)
For those who believe in Karma, or not, the person in question may get her just rewards, or not, as the case may be......
She dose not have a car or a house to her name my bro has them an he worked hard all his life for so y should he sale them for her embezzlement and what about the 10,000 when this all started it was 32,000 so did the anther person who could sign chq get down for that
Chip
That's all very well and fine Chip. I don't understand the figures you're talking about but I know one thing for sure. If my partner/husband/whatever you call them nowadays, had diddled anyone or any organisation out of one penny, I'd work to the end of my days to make sure they got a pound back.
So, what are you saying here?
Agree with you Moira - If I was going to stand by partner after they had pinched money, the first thing I would be doing would be ensuring that every spare penny of the household went to repay the pinched monies.
I and partner would be working and selling personal items, anyway possible to raise any money to repay the debt as soon as possible, to move on in life and try to put it behind, personally to me the repayment of £400 since sentencing is just a joke.
No - its not her money, its their money (her and her partner) people may be saying - he benefited at the time of the theft I imagine, may not have known about it.
They share everything else but not any repayments of her debts? That is not a partnership then.
secrets in symmetry
15-Oct-11, 00:02
Wick gala embezzler Karen Spruce of stornoway, who was treasure of the wick town Improvements Association when she lived in Wick, has been allowed an extra 18 months to pay off the money she still owes.
She was convicted of embezzling £22,000 and at Wick sheriff Court last year she was ordered to pay back the money within 18 months or face a prison sentence.
At Stornoway Sheriff court yesterday she was given an extra 18 months, not prison. How unfair is the justice system. The former Wick Town Improvements committee are now facing having to pay this outstanding amount themselves.
I think we should all make official complaints about this to stornoway Sherriff Court and get justice done for wick.
For those that can't make sense of this appalling post (and most of the replies to it) - and that probably includes most of us - a coherent account of the affair can be found elsewhere on this forum: Gala embezzler gets more time to repay cash (http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?158954-Gala-embezzler-gets-more-time-to-repay-cash)
If it was my wife or partner I would make sure that that she paid it back with her money an not mine.
My bro spent 22 years in the army he should give it up for her. No she should go to jail she did the crime .
And as I said at the start it was 32,000 so who stole the 10,000 as she stole 22,000
Chip.
riggerboy
15-Oct-11, 07:30
your right chip, it should have no reflection on your brother, as he himself must be sick of having to move all the time due to her sticky finger ways,everytime she gets a job ,,he must think to himself O no here we go again, your right she should have been jaied,
The sherif in stornaway should hang his head in shame because he has undermined sherif Berry by lengthening pay back time Karen should have been taken back to wick court not stornaway
cHIP
secrets in symmetry
15-Oct-11, 13:32
I could start to support the Spruce woman if I see any more of the sort of illiterate childish drivel she has to put up with day in and day out.
have we all not got something better to chat about than Karen Spruce, why keep going over the same points again and again. i know i for 1 am not interested - its up to her how she lives and the sherif how he sees fit to deal with this sorry incident so lets draw a line under it and find something better to debate/ chat about!!
JACQUELINE
jac1971
KAREN SPRUCE by going to court and asking for longer to pay she put HERSELF in the position of being in the press
If she paid up people would have nothing to talk about - so suggest SHE PAYS UP, then she can keep out of the press.
If people want to chat/debate what is currently in the papers they can - this subject in the press NOW due to again Karen Spruce's OWN actions.
Mrs Bucket
15-Oct-11, 16:31
Are we all 'frightened'? - bit of an overreaction there Pat.
OK she's now over to your side of Scotland, but I'm sure we're not 'frightened to say something'.. of course it's wrong what she did, and the courts are sometimes idiots, so what would be better? shove her in Nick and get no money. She had to find over £1,200 a month for 18 months - could you do that?
A Stornoway resident who embezzled £22,000 from a community cause has been placed on 18 months probation for 18 months. Karen Spruce, of 4 Mill Street, Stornoway, must also undertake 240 hours of community service.. The 55-year-old, now working as a classroom assistant on Lewis was ordered to repay all the money she stole from the Wick Gala funds between April 2005 and June 2008. So far she has repaid £12,500. Her community service will be undertaken on Lewis.Did I read this correctly a convicted thief working with children in a school.
Karen Spruce was working at the school whilst she admitted taking £22,000, on sentencing she was removed from post.
They were unable to do anything until Karen Spruce was convicted of embezzling the £22,000 from Wick Gala - even when Karen Spruce ADMITTED she took £22,000 the Western Isles Council were unaable to take any action - innocent until proved guilty, even though Karen Spruce admitted taking it it is not enough for action to be taken!
So, what happened to the other 10k?
This type of 'plea bargaining' is fairly common - the police and prosecution can prove xxxx amount, meaning the person can get such and such a sentence.
If the accused admits to yyyy (usually a much lower figure) the prosecution will accept that and the case can continue and the person gets a much lighter sentence for having admitted the crime, otherwise it becomes much more drawn out affair and more and more expert witnesses and other people are required to appear in court, therefore raising court costs, police time and all costs involved in continuing to prove blame for the extra £££s.
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