A former parish council clerk will appear at the crown court today to be sentenced for defrauding her employers out of thousands of pounds.

Joanne Wills, 47, scammed more than £161,000 from Towersey and Chinnor parish councils between 2009 and 2021, Oxford Magistrates’ Court heard in May.

READ MORE: Former parish clerk in court for fraud

She also transferred £20,000 between the two organisations in order to cover up a shortfall in the Towersey Parish Council’s accounts.

Wills, of Crowell Hill, Chinnor, is due before Oxford Crown Court for sentence at 11.30am, when her case will be heard by Recorder John Hardy QC.

She pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court in May to four counts of fraud.

Sending her case up to the higher court at that hearing, chairman of the magistrates’ bench Anne Pappenheim said: “From what we’ve heard today this case is clearly way beyond our sentencing powers and so it is going to be sent to the crown court for sentence.

“We’ve been asked to order a pre-sentence report to give the judge more information about you to guide his sentence and we are going to do that.

“So, you are committed to the crown court sitting at Oxford for sentence.

“These offences are so serious you need greater punishment than we can give.”

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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