Norfolk accountant jailed for stealing £360k from family-run business
50-year-old accountant sentenced for fraud by abuse of position
An accountant has been jailed after taking more than £350,000 from a family-run business near Dereham.
50 year old Jennifer Smith from Wood Norton was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court to two years and eight months in jail, following a guilty plea to the charge of fraud by abuse of position.
Smith misused her role at an agricultural firm to transfer significant funds from business accounts to her own bank account over a six-year period.
In 2025, when company discrepancies were raised by the director, Smith blamed erroneous transactions. However, investigations revealed £260,000 was illicitly transferred between May 2023 and October 2025.
Further probing uncovered additional losses spanning from 2019 to 2025, totalling £363,082.
Following sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Gary Ranger said; "This case demonstrates how positions of trust can be abused. Smith stole hundreds of thousands of pounds from her employer, a loss which had a real impact on the business.
"Fraud is not acceptable in any shape or form and I hope Smith's conviction and subsequent imprisonment shows we will always endeavour bring offenders before the courts".