A veterinary surgery manager stole £50,000, causing financial turmoil for the business and distress for its owners
Swansea: So, there’s this veterinary surgery manager, Charlotte Devonald, who got caught stealing a whopping £50,000 from her workplace. Can you believe it? She was supposed to be trusted with the money, but instead, she was pocketing it for herself.
The court heard that she only admitted to her crimes on the day of the trial. One of the owners had to rush back from a family emergency in Australia just to testify. Talk about a mess! It seems she was in such denial about her situation that she hadn’t even told her daughter what was going on.
Her lawyer mentioned that she was struggling to face reality, which is pretty sad. She had been working at the Animal Doctors surgery since 2020, earning a decent salary, but it looks like financial troubles led her down this path.
The owners trusted her with everything—paying bills, handling payroll, and banking the daily cash. But then, the accountants noticed some discrepancies, and that’s when the trouble started. After digging deeper, they found out she had been depositing the surgery’s cash into her own account instead of the business account.
On top of that, she misused a company fuel card, spending over £5,000 on personal fuel, including filling up for friends. When questioned, she denied taking any cash and tried to shift the blame, saying others had access to the safe too.
The owners were devastated. They said every penny counts in their small business, and her actions put them in a tough spot financially. They even ended up in debt to suppliers and owed a hefty amount to HM Revenue and Customs.
Some of their long-term staff left because of the uncertainty, which made it even harder for them to find replacements. They thought they were leaving their business in good hands, but now they’re left picking up the pieces.
Devonald, who’s 44 and from Pembrokeshire, finally pleaded guilty to fraud and theft. Her lawyer described her as fragile and isolated, and she was clearly overwhelmed by the situation. The judge didn’t hold back, saying she had abused the trust placed in her and caused a lot of stress for the owners.
In the end, she got a three-year prison sentence, but she’ll only serve half of that before being released on license. It’s a tough lesson learned, but it’s a shame it had to come to this.
