A British Airways hostess stole up to £100,000 of passengers’ charity donations.
Gillian Paterson, 36, faces jail after stashing cash left on planes for the children’s charity Unicef.
She was rumbled after dozens of ripped Unicef envelopes were found in her car when it was valeted.
Confronted by the Mirror outside her £300,000 detached home she said: “I don’t know what I can say. I must ring my solicitor.”
Paterson – who has boasted of paying off her mortgage – insisted on being the crew member on flights responsible for collecting donations, a court heard.
She is on bail until sentencing next month after a jury convicted her of stealing cash over 12 months up to November 2007. It is feared she may have taken donations throughout a 10-year BA career.
Sources say that could total £100,000 of coins and notes in many currencies.
Judge Angela Morris told her: “This is a breach of trust of your employers, it is a breach of trust of Unicef and a breach of trust of passengers who gave cash. To put it mildly, it is a triple whammy.”
Prosecutor Alison Barker told Isleworth crown court in West London that Paterson left her car with valeting staff at Gatwick Airport. The lawyer explained: “She told them she did not want the boot cleaned.
“When the man came to the back seats, he was aware of coins and torn envelopes.
“He saw they were charity envel-opes and a supervisor called police.”
Paterson, of Angmering, West Sussex, claimed to be “a Unicef champion”, promoting the charity on flights by showing a short film.
She denied theft and suggested the envelopes became torn by being flung around in the car boot.
Paterson recalled “forgetting” to deposit a bag of Unicef donations.
BA suspended the hostess when allegations were made. Found guilty, she quit before she could be sacked.