Manager stole £25k in payments from dentist's patients
A DENTAL practice manager stole almost £25,000 of payments from more than 500 patients for ten years.
Susan Codd, 52, was working as a practice manager at the family-run Sutton Dental Practice in east Hull when she stole the money.
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Ten years of deceit: Susan Codd pleaded guilty to theft
Codd was employed in 1999 but, from 2002, she stole money from payments made to her by more than 500 patients.
She stole £24,839.90 belonging to dentist Karl Sinclair over ten years and was only caught when the practice changed its computer system.
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Prosecutor Richard Thompson told Hull Crown Court the husband-and-wife team running the dental surgery took Codd on as practice manager in 1999.
He said: "In that role, she was responsible for collecting payments from customers who had received treatments and recording it in the dental practice records.
"In October last year the practice updated its computer system. It was during that process that anomalies were noticed in relation to the payment system."
Mr Thompson said Codd was questioned about the financial anomalies and collected her bags and left after she offered to resign.
A full audit was carried out, uncovering 500 patients' accounts had not been settled, according to the computer records, although their payments had been received.
Codd was arrested in March and admitted stealing the money from the practice.
However, she originally claimed the amount she had stolen was £8,000.
She now admits the full extent of her crime. Codd, of Arnold Lane West, Arnold, pleaded guilty to theft at Hull Magistrates' Court.
She was then referred to Hull Crown Court for sentencing because her crime was so serious.
Her solicitor Harold Bloomfield told the court she has £10,000 in a savings account and £12,377 in an endowment policy.
Recorder Graham Hyland QC has ordered her to repay all the money.
He said: "This was a serious breach of trust. You couldn't complain if I were to send you to prison.
"The aggravating features are that it was over a prolonged period and the offence clearly crosses the custody threshold."
However, he decided to spare Codd jail because she could repay the money.
He said: "Having heard that you are able to make full reparation by way of money you deprived the practice of and because of your guilty plea at a very early stage and your remorse, which I accept is genuine, and your good character, I can suspend the sentence."
Codd has been given a 12-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
She has no previous convictions.
A proceeds of crime hearing had been ordered to enable financial investigators to see how she has benefited from her criminal conduct and she could face being stripped of all her assets.
Comments
by Anon_Geoff
Tuesday, September 18 2012, 6:31PM
“Accountants, auditors, the dentists themselves?
Amazed that none of them noticed £2,500 a year being stripped out on average. I know this sort of business has a high turnover, but still... Pretty basic checks should have uncovered this sort of fraud.”
by OMFG78
Tuesday, September 18 2012, 10:02AM
“Yes she was a very rude person. Always right... I forgot to take my exemption card in with me and couldn't get back to the practise to pay so she sent me a fine I had to pay (had to claim it back). I wouldn't mind but when you go for your prescription you don't have to take it with you every time as they have it on record, surely your dentist should be the same. I've been at that dentist from being a small child and always remember her as been rude.”
by GarethC2010
Monday, September 17 2012, 9:21PM
“Financial crime of this nature should be way own the list of crimes warranting prison time.
Given the choice of dangerous people and greedy people walking the streets I would far rather see people like this idiot walking the streets.
Until we have jailed every drug dealing, violent, child molesting, lunatic that passes through the court system then people like this should not be jailed.
Let's be fair previous HDM stories have Shown you can have 50,000 indecent images of children and not get a custodial sentence.
Don't get me wrong, if I was running the country I'd build more jails and lock every criminal up but in a situation where jails are full then we should be concentrating on violent dangerous people as a priority before we jail idiots like this lady.”
by glewpot
Monday, September 17 2012, 7:20PM
“So if you can pay back the money you walk free, if you have,nt got anything you go to jail what a joke!”
by opinionhated
Monday, September 17 2012, 5:34PM
“............or maybe a vest so her chest doesn't get so chilly.”
by opinionhated
Monday, September 17 2012, 5:34PM
“According to her victim she creamed them for far more than £25k but they had to go for what could be proved on paper. She'll have squirrelled plenty away no doubt - maybe some proforma invoices from the Plastic Sturgeon to get that bottom lip lifted?”
by ghostwriter69
Monday, September 17 2012, 4:50PM
“Glenn
She hasn't got away with it. She has been in court, had her face plastered all over the news (and the people on here who know her say she is arrogant), has got a 12 month suspended sentence and 200 hours of community payback.
She will now have a criminal record and find it difficult and expensive to get any insurance for her home or car (though she probably won't have either after the proceeds of crime hearing). And if she lives with anyone they will have the same problems too.
Plus she has to pay the money back, so she has gained nothing from the crime and lost loads.”
by localad
Monday, September 17 2012, 3:45PM
“Adolfo, could not agree more. Bloody useless the judges.”
by slinkycat
Monday, September 17 2012, 2:55PM
“She used to work for Alan Jones who had 3 surgeries , Bransholme Centre, Hornsea and Wawne Road, Sutton. She "managed" the surgeries but worked fron the Hornsea Branch. Not sure when she parted company from Alan Jones Dental Surgeries, I think he dropped down to just the Hornsea branch. I couldn't believe it when I saw this, she always thought she was a cut above but I wouldn't have thought she would ever resort to this sort of behaviour.”
by GlennQuagmire
Monday, September 17 2012, 2:11PM
“Great news - it's ok to rob as long as you pay it back if you get caught.
I'll remember that one.”