A "TRUSTED" finance boss spent six years siphoning thousands of pounds from the cancer charity she worked for into her own accounts, a court has been told.
Former Wessex Cancer Trust financial coordinator Paula Tribbeck transferred vital cash as the charity launched public fundraisers in a pitched battle to survive.
The charity, which helps people living with cancer and their families across Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, faced possible closure and scrambled to raise £600,000 to save the organisation at the start of December 2019.
Bosses have told the Daily Echo that Tribbeck's crime, spanning from January 2013 to December 2019, left them "shocked and saddened".
Tribbeck, 48, has admitted fraud by abuse of position at Southampton Magistrates' Court.
The court heard how she stole money by abusing her position within the struggling charity.
She dishonestly transferred money from the bank accounts of Wessex Cancer Trust and its retail subsidiary WCT Wessex Limited to herself over six years.
She was eventually caught in 2019, with the charity taking immediate action and reporting the incident to the police.
In a joint statement, Diane Cutler, chair of trustees, and Rachel Billsberry-Grass, chief executive, of Wessex Cancer Trust, told the Daily Echo: “We are shocked and saddened that a trusted member of staff would steal from our charity.
"This is a historic incident and when it was discovered in 2019, we took immediate action to inform the police and the Charity Commission, and to review all internal procedures.
“Since then, we have been supporting the police to gather evidence to bring this criminal case to court.
"The individual has now pleaded guilty in the magistrates' court, and we look forward to the sentencing hearing in October.
“As a charity, we are grateful for every penny that we receive from our supporters and the hard work of our volunteers.
"Without their generosity, we would not be able to offer local people living with cancer the emotional and well-being support they need.”
Tribbeck, of Broadlands Road, Southampton, is now due to be sentenced at the city crown court on October 18.
Wessex Cancer Trust gives free support to people affected by the disease at support centres in Chandler's Ford, Hythe, Andover, Bournemouth, and Newport.
It offers a drop-in service, professional counselling, complementary therapies, activities, support groups and courses.
Some £290,000 was raised to save it from going under in 2020.
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