Theft of charity donations
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Theft of charity donations
In a London paper yesterday...
Air stewardess stole up to £100,000 of passenger charity donations - mirror.co.uk
Air stewardess stole up to £100,000 of passenger charity donations - mirror.co.uk
Originally Posted by The Mirror
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.
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.
Last edited by 99jolegg; 11th Nov 2008 at 07:45.
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I read that, £100,000 in those small envelopes either means she stole more than "dozens" or the amount in each of those envelopes is a lot more than leftover holiday change?!
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I can understand employees stealing from employers...but how could you steal from children? That is a low, poor act and is totally disgusting. I have no sympathy for this F/A whatsoever. At Qantas, we go around the cabin at descent and collect Unicef money from passengers. This bag is then security sealed and placed and locked into the duty free cart. How the hell can this F/A justify having the envelopes in her car???? Stupid cow!!!! I hope she is severely punished for stealing from poor children and I hope her face is splashed everywhere for all to see.
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uz32 (from tin shed in Darwin)....nothing revolutionary about your views on theft. We all know theft is theft, regardless of the victim, and we all know it is bad. You've missed the point of this thread....we are talking about a flight attendant who has stolen money from poor third world children here. I know that if it came down to EITHER: (1) stealing from our company or (2) stealing from poor children....I think 99.99% of any decent human being would choose the former. Not sure what sort of value beliefs you uphold uz32 ???
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Yes I couldn't agree with you more uz32. 100% of decent people would not choose to steal from anyone. But of that same group of people, I'm sure that if they HAD TO (lets just say for argument's sake that they HAD TO) steal from EITHER their company or the children, then they would PREFER to steal from their company rather than children. Does that make sense???? Oh my dear uz32 from Darwin, you love a bit of online pot stirring don't you? You're still missing my point and the point of the orginal thread starter. LOL. You're good uz32...I like you very much....(no pun or insult intended).
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....nah sorry...I still would rather steal from my employer than from third world kids. I love stealing post it notes and writing pads and paper clips. It gives me such a buzz. Everyday I go to work, I stake out an inconspicuous position near the stationery cabinet...and when no one is watching, I make a beeline to the cabinet....I've done really well...I've stolen about 263 paperclips now (in all assorted rainbow colours except purple).....my next project is to steal a stapler and a holepunch. The holepunch that I want has the adjustable papersetting for various paper sizes....oh I looooove it and I want it sooooooo bad.
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This was in the papers again yesterday night as the trial is over and she has been "sentenced".
£13,000 fine (£1000 for each money she offended on her 13 month campaign), 200 hrs unpaid work and a suspended jail sentence for 50 weeks, suspended for 2 years.
Quite a detailed article:
British Airways stewardess who stole £100,000 from passengers' charity donations escapes jail | Mail Online
BA stewardess 'stole £100,000' given to charity by passengers | News
EDIT: I'd get rid of the alleged from the title, but I don't think it can be changed now.
£13,000 fine (£1000 for each money she offended on her 13 month campaign), 200 hrs unpaid work and a suspended jail sentence for 50 weeks, suspended for 2 years.
Quite a detailed article:
British Airways stewardess who stole £100,000 from passengers' charity donations escapes jail | Mail Online
BA stewardess 'stole £100,000' given to charity by passengers | News
EDIT: I'd get rid of the alleged from the title, but I don't think it can be changed now.
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Thanks for the update. I'm so glad she has been found guilty and that her fugly cow face has been splashed out for all to see. Shame on you cow for stealing money from kids. If I were the judge, I would force her to do labour in third world countries and get the cow to explain to the kids why she stole their money.
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The legal sentence is something she can probably live with, what she'll almost certainly find harder is that she'll almost certainly be sacked (if she hasn't resigned already), she'll find it very hard to find any work in this, or any other industry which requires a CRB check every year and, since very few people look after airborne SLF because the money is the number one attraction, I suspect she'll miss the job itself.
Clearly she's a selfish, brazen and cowardly individual, but she must have some life/friends outwith work and hopefully she'll lose that as well.
Add all of that to the sentence & fine and we can only wish her everything she deserves.
Clearly she's a selfish, brazen and cowardly individual, but she must have some life/friends outwith work and hopefully she'll lose that as well.
Add all of that to the sentence & fine and we can only wish her everything she deserves.
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This is a isolated incident nothing more.
Having said that even if your money does reach the charity how do you know what's done with it? How do you think organisations like the Salvation Army pay for their flashy new HQ in the City of London?
By the way...36??? The words "round", "tough" and "paper" spring to mind...
(* I haven't mentioned particulars as I was working for the police at the time and, understandably, I'd be breaching all kinds of acts were I to divulge specific information)
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Oh my god that thought makes me physically sick .....a crew bag full of stolen charity money hidden behind a garden shed. If I knew the F/A involved...I would go so far as setting that person's garden on fire (without the charity money in it of course). Obviously the cops had been given a tip off from other crew about this person?
Karma will catch up with these people I am sure of that. I hope they come back in the next life as a pubic louse, living in the bum hairs of a dehydrated camel.
Karma will catch up with these people I am sure of that. I hope they come back in the next life as a pubic louse, living in the bum hairs of a dehydrated camel.