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ONE PAPER ... ALL THE NEWS from Dewsbury, Batley, Ossett, Mirfield, Liversedge, Birstall, Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton & Spen Valley
Friday April 24, 2015
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No. 682
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PAY BACK EVERY PENNY FACING JAIL... but Samantha Crossland could win a reprieve if she repays the £22,000 she stole from the Child’s Play nursery
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A Killer’s WIN WEEKLY jail bet SHOP AT boasts ASDA! Judge tells Lotto millionaires’ daughter who stole £22,000 from kids’ nursery... p3
By David Miller News Reporter davidmiller@thepressnews.co.uk
A WOMAN whose parents won the lottery stole more than £22,000 from the Dewsbury children’s nursery where she worked. Samantha Crossland was told to pay back money taken from Child’s Play on Thornhill Road before a court sentencing hearing due today (Friday). The 30-year-old, of The Paddock, Mirfield, was told at Leeds Crown Court that failure to do so could result in a jail term. Crossland had earlier admitted theft and offered to pay the cash back in instalments. Recorder Ray Singh said repayment would be better sooner, and adjourned the case to allow a re-think. Crossland came back with an improved offer and Mr Singh said “all bets are off” regarding a jail term if payment was not made as promised. The defendant’s parents, Susan, 51, and Michael, 46, who won £1.2m on the lottery in 2008, were in court and wept as they heard that Child’s Play, founded in 2001 by Susan’s friend Lynda Quigley, was left close to financial ruin. The court was told Crossland stole £22,642 in amounts ranging from £552 to £5,106. It involved stealing tuition money paid by parents which was kept in a locked box that only Mrs Quigley and Crossland had access to. Charles Blatchford, prosecuting, said Crossland had been promoted to nursery manager. In 2013, Mrs Quigley went into hospital for surgery and Crossland was left in charge of the finances. Parents paid fees weekly or monthly by direct debit, vouchers or with cash in sealed envelopes kept in the locked box. When Mrs Quigley returned to work in early 2014, a discrepancy was found in the accounts. It related to one particular child and the parents were contacted, only for them to state they had already paid.
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