A TRUSTED long-serving employee stole £184,000 from a company over a period of five years, a court heard yesterday.

Patricia Rose Parrott was jailed for 21 months for the theft of £184,011.25 from Teesside Fluid Systems, based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

Parrott, 58, worked as credit controller for the distribution centre for valves and other industrial fittings for 32 years.

Durham Crown Court was told she used her knowledge of the business and payments system to her advantage when she fell into mounting personal debt.

She made out a total of 169 illicit cheque payments into her own bank account between January 2006 and January this year.

Her activities only came to light when Joanne Waller, who is codirector of the company with her husband, Barry, stood in for Parrott during a three-day absence for illness in January.

She noticed discrepancies on cheque stub entries and actual payments to customer accounts.

Further inquiries by a business accountant revealed the full extent of her thefts.

David Wilkinson, prosecuting, told the court: “It was not a complicated fraud, but would have required an ongoing element of concealment.

“She initially denied it, but later admitted making a mess of the accounts for 2010 and stealing a cheque for £2,700.

“In a further interview, she admitted doing it more than once.

“It was put to her that it went back to 2006 and she admitted she had been ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ to keep her financial position afloat.

“She said she would steal two or three times a month,” added Mr Wilkinson.

Parrott, of Berrybank Crescent, Cockerton, Darlington, admitted a single theft charge.

Alex Menary, mitigating, told the court: “A casual observer hearing the prosecution opening would think this is a very sad and cautionary tale. A lady of hitherto good character has lost her job and her home, and has now been made bankrupt, losing her good name in the community in the process.”

Mr Menary said her financial problems arose over debts inherited after the death of her first husband 18 years ago, since when she had struggled to keep her head above water as mounting interest repayments became impossible to maintain.

Jailing her, Recorder Eric Elliott told Parrott: “It was calculated and deliberate dishonesty.

“You took advantage of your powerful position as financial controller to disguise that dishonesty for five years.

“There’s no doubt it would have damaging effects on the company.”

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Waller said: “I’m just glad justice has been done.

“We would have been very disappointed if, after doing what she did, she had not gone to jail.

“We trusted her implicitly and this has caused us a lot of problems.”

Mrs Waller said the stolen money could have been used to take on extra employees or to help develop the business.

Proceeds of crime inquiries will now be made to see what, if any, money can be retrieved from Parrott by the company.