Thieving Elvis fan gets real Jailhouse Rock experience
Julie Wall, of Rippon Drive, Sleaford, Lincs, had taken more than £10,000 a month from North Kesteven District Council, dipping into takings from parking meters for more than a decade.
She spent the cash on rare vinyl, CDs and DVDs featuring her idol, prosecutor Sam Robinson told Lincoln Crown Court.
Mr Robinson said Wall, who had worked at the council for more than 30 years, had an obsession that left her desperate for signed, rare memorabilia.
He said that in her role as a cashier the unmarried 46-year-old would receive cash collected by parking attendants. Her job was to count the coins and deposit them in the council’s bank account.
But since 1996 she had been helping herself to the money which she would swap for banknotes and pocket herself.
In her spare time she would trawl collectors’ fairs and specialist shops across the country, buying up rare recordings and foreign pressings of her favourite songs for her collection.
Her crime was only discovered in July this year after an internal audit revealed that £557,000 had gone missing over the years.
Mr Robinson added that no proper checks had been carried out since 1996, allowing Wall to get away with her “extraordinary” crime.
She admitted theft at an earlier hearing.
In mitigation, Luke Blackburn told the court that Wall was of good character and was now “deeply ashamed” of herself.
