Police Worker Ordered to Repay £100,000 After Evidence Room Theft

A former police employee from Brinsworth who stole nearly £100,000 from the force evidence room has been ordered to repay more than £108,000, or face further time behind bars

Jacqueline Fletcher, 55, of Boundary Walk, Brinsworth, was jailed in 2018 for two years and eight months after admitting four counts of theft.

Now, six-years on following a successful legal review, she has been hit with a new confiscation order demanding she repay £108,256.86 within three months — or serve a further 12-month prison sentence.

Fletcher was employed as the Property Store Team Leader at Attercliffe Police Station in Sheffield. In 2013, she was entrusted with handling a large cash seizure linked to a criminal investigation. While she told the investigating officer she had deposited the full amount into the force’s account, she in fact transferred £98,500 into her own personal account, leaving just £1,500 for the police.

The theft only came to light in 2017 when a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) inquiry requested the money — which was nowhere to be found. A criminal investigation followed, leading to Fletcher’s prosecution and initial confiscation order in 2018, requiring her to pay back £47,000.

Thanks to persistent efforts from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit’s Asset Confiscation Enforcement (ACE) team, a reconsideration of the original order has now been secured. The new total reflects assets acquired by Fletcher since her original sentencing.

Detective Superintendent James Axe, head of South Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Department, said: “We expect all of our employees to behave professionally, honestly and with integrity. Fletcher showed none of these traits, behaving disgracefully and abusing the trust placed in her.

“The vital work carried out by the YHROCU’s ACE team has ensured that more of the money Fletcher stole will be recovered. This recovered money helps fund community initiatives and officer training, ultimately benefiting the public.”

Fletcher has until October to repay the full amount or return to prison.