PSR - Janet Louise SKINNER
PRE-SENTENCE
REPORT ws0:
This is a Pre-Sentence Report as defined in
Section 158 of the Criminal Justice Act
2003 and has been prepared in accordance
with the requirements of the National
Standard for Pre-Sentence Reports.
RN: GG02409 - PNC: 33-993399H
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NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE
for England and Wales
Humberside
THIS REPORT IS A RESTRICTED DOCUMENT
OFFENDER'S DETAILS:
Name
Janet Louise SKINNER
Date of Birth:
Address:
Post Code:
COURT DETAILS:
Sentencing Court:
HULL
Court Type:
Crown Court
Local Justice Area:
Hull & Holderness
Date Report Requested:
5 January 2007
Date Report Required:
To Be Confirmed
Purpose of Sentencing
Not Stated
Level of Seriousness
Not Stated
OFFENCE DETAILS:
Offence(s) (dealt with in this PSR):
Date of Offence(s):
False accounting
1 June 2006
PSR WRITER’S DETAILS:
Name: Emma Sutton
Official Title: Trainee Probation Officer
Office Location: Liberty Lane
HULL
(HUT ARS
— — i GRO
Date report completed
and signed:
18" January 2007
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PSR - Janet Louise SKINNEI CRN: GG02409 - PNC: 33-993399H
[.1. Sources of Information
1.1 Ms Skinner has been interviewed by myself at Liberty House on one occasion. I have
also had access to the Summary of Fact and her previous convictions document which
shows this to be her first offence. Ms Skinner is not previously known to the Probation
Service, Humberside.
1.2 This report is underpinned and informed by an Offender Assessment System
(OASys) in the identification of the risk of reconviction and the risk of harm
presented by this defendant.
I 2. Offence Analysis : : oe : GI
2.1. Ms Skinner is charged with false accounting for hiding losses of £59516.43p from her
employer. The original charge was theft from employer which was reduced in exchange
for a guilty plea. She denies taking the cash.
2.2 Ms Skinner was employed by the Post Office as a Sub postmistress at their North
Bransholme branch in Hull and was responsible for the cash transactions and accounts
at the office. On Tuesday 30th May 2006, managers attended the branch as they were
concerned about the large amount of cash apparently held on the premises. When they
arrived, the managers claimed that Ms Skinner made an attempt to delay investigations
and then informed them that they would notice a cash shortage of around £40,000. Ms
Skinner then advised that she suspected another employee of stealing the money. Whilst
investigations were in progress it was noted that an attempt was made to order a cash
remittance of £40,000 to be delivered to the office. It is not known who requested this
money, but the managers refused to accept this as they believed the cash holdings at the
office already to be excessive.
2.3 Ms Skinner was then suspended from her post and a full audit was carried out the
following day. The investigation revealed a shortage of £59,216.43p. Post Office
investigating officers were called and Ms Skinner was interviewed under caution.
2.4 Ms Skinner admitted to knowing that the branch was carrying a large loss and stated that
she had been inflating the cash holding in the accounts to Produce a clear trading
statement when it came to balancing the transactions each month. Ms Skinner claims
that she initially noted the losses in January 2006 (of £7500). She claimed in the post
Office investigative interview that she told her staff about this but did not question them.
However, when interviewed for her pre-sentence report, she stated that she told nobody
of the losses she had noticed. She claims that the losses increased on a monthly basis
and she failed to seek advice from anybody, continuing to inflate the cash holdings to
hide the problem. She denies stealing the money and claims that she suspected a
colleague. No charges have been brought against this employee.
2.5 Ms Skinner's account of the incident in interview concurs wholly with the information I
have in the Statement of Fact.
2.6 § Although Ms Skinner denies requesting the £40,000 cash delivery, she admits that it
would be hard to trace whoever did, as such requests are made over the telephone. It is
likely that whoever was responsible for this request was also responsible for the theft of
the money and it appears to have been a last-minute attempt to hide the fact that cash
was missing.
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PSR - Janet Louise SKINNER I
) - CRN: GG02409 - PNC: 33-993399H
2.7 Motivation for this offence is difficult to assess. Ms Skinner admits to falsifying
transactions to hide the losses. However, she is unable to offer a credible explanation of
why she continued to do this if she suspected a colleague of stealing large amounts of
cash. Given this, assessment of culpability is also problematic. The fact that the
deception went on for five months demonstrates planning and premeditation. It is a
concern that such a large amount of money was involved in the offence.
2.8 Ms Skinner maintains that she made a ‘silly mistake’ by hiding the losses and appears to
be clearly distraught by the situation she is now in, claiming to feel great remorse.
However, she does not present as having a full understanding of the huge financial loss
she has caused to her employer.
2.9 — The victim in this offence was The Post Office and Ms Skinner's actions caused large
financial loss to them. This offence shows a substantial breach of trust. Ms Skinner failed
to alert her employers to the losses, thus enabling them to increase rapidly over the 5
month period.
2.10 Her offence may also have had an emotional impact on the person Ms Skinner attempted
to blame for the theft.
2.11. To date, no reparation has been made for the offence.
[ 3. Offender Assessment and Likelihood of Reoffending
The OASys Chart below summarises the relevant factors which have been identified as
contributing to the defendant's risk of reconviction. The indicators which exceed the
mid-way point on the bar chart are those which need to be addressed in order to reduce
the likelihood of further offences being committed.
Factors Contributing to Offending
Below 50% = Below threshold of concern. 50% and above = Above threshold of concern.
0% 50% 100%
Offending Information _.
Accommodation [ee
Education, Train., Employ. -= 7
wn) a ——
Relationships
Lifestyle & Associates [>]
Drug Misuse
Alcohol Misuse
Emotional Well-te:in gy” SSSSSE2S asia SES TS
Thinking and Behaviour [=
Attitudes [==
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3.1 This is the first time Ms Skinner has come to the attention of the criminal justice system.
This is therefore, not part of an established pattern of offending.
Likelihood of
reconviction: Risk is Low
3.2 Ms Skinner lives in her own home with her partner and two children. She tells me she
currently has £689 in mortgage arrears and that a ‘confiscation order’ is being placed on
her home in order to recover some of the losses experienced by the Post Office. This
means that her accommodation status is currently unstable.
3.3. Ms Skinner estimates that she attended school approximately 60% of the time and left at
the age of 16 without sitting her GCSE's. Ms Skinner has worked for the Post Office
since 1995 and prior to this was raising her two children. She is currently working 23
hours a week in the EYMS call centre (verified). Her current employers are not aware of
her offence and Ms Skinner is concerned that she will lose her job if they find out. Ms
Skinner reports no problems with numeracy or literacy, and although this has not been
verified, her previous role with the Post Office suggests that there are no issues in this
area
3.4
3.5
3.6 There are no known issues in relation to drug or alcohol misuse.
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‘GRO } - CRN: GG02409 - PNG: 33-993399H
PSR - Janet Louise SKINNEI
3.8 Ms Skinner presents as having good interpersonal skills and an accurate insight into
problematic areas of her life. However, she describes herself as being somewhat
impulsive and the index offence indicates a lack of consequential thinking and poor
problem solving skills. When discussing conflicts with her current partner it became
evident that she is not always fully in control of her emoti i
3.9 This is the first time Ms Skinner has come to the attention of the criminal justice system
and whilst she does not display criminal attitudes it is difficult to assess her motivation to
change as she does not view herself as a ‘criminal’. She has indicated that she will
comply fully with any requirements imposed on her and presented as polite and helpful in
interview.
[ 4. Assessment of the Risk of Harm
4.1 During the course of the assessment it has been identified that there are concerns
about coping in custody and risk of self-harm. It is felt that Ms Skinner is at risk of
injury, illness or death, if suicide is attempted again. It is considered that this risk will be
reduced with continued sup)
current criminal proceeding:
4.2 During the course of the assessment it has been identified that there are concerns
about risk of breach of trust. As her offence involved a clear breach of trust it is felt
that Ms Skinner may pose a risk of financial loss to employers in the future, should she
-find herself working with money, or with vulnerable peopl
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4.3 It is not felt that Ms Skinner poses a risk to anyone in any other ways than those
mentioned above.
4.4 Ms Skinner is deemed to present a low risk of reoffending.
5. Conclusion
5.1 The defendant is aware that the offence is so serious that a custodial sentence may be
implemented. Whilst such a penalty would serve to punish Ms Skinner, it would also
signify the termination of her employment and thus put further financial strain on a family
already under considerable pressure. In addition to these potential problems, there are
concerns in relation to coping in custody as outlined in the Assessment of Risk of Harm
sections above.
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PSR - Janet Louise SKINNER: - CRN: GG02409 - PNC: 33-893399H.
5.2 Given that Ms Skinner has no previous convictions, it is felt that she could be dealt with
by way of a suspended sentence order with the following requirements:
¢ A requirement to perform unpaid work in the region of 150-300 hours as directed by
the responsible officer
e A supervision requirement for a period of 12 months
5.3 I have also considered an offending behaviour programme requirement, but due to her
low risk of reoffending, the defendant is outside the criteria.
5.4. The unpaid work requirement would afford community reparation whilst punishing Ms
Skinner by restricting her already limited free-time.
5.5 The supervision requirement would allow the likelihood of reoffending and the problem
areas to be addressed, most importantly her financial management, emotional well being
and thinking skills. Ms Skinner has indicated that she is motivated to address these areas
of her life.
5.6 Ms Skinner has been assessed as suitable for the requirements outlined above and has
indicated a willingness to comply with such an order. She is well aware of the powers
available to the court, should she fail to do so.
5.7 At the time of writing this report, the Court date was unconfirmed. Should Ms Skinner be
subject to a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order, Please contact Liberty
House Duty unit for her initial appointment with a Probation Services Officer.
sm GRO Date OI...
Emma Sutton
Trainee Probation Officer
Probation Office
Liberty lane
HULL
HU1 1RS
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PSR - Janet Louise SKINNER
}- CRN: GG02409 - PNC: 33-993399H
Objectives and Plans
The Priority for setting objectives is:
1) Reduce risk of serious harm
2) Reduce offending related factors
Relevant offending
related item
Objective - what are
you trying to achieve?
How will progress be
measured?
What will be done to
achieve the objective?
Who will do the work?
What is the timescale
for the work?
THINKING SKILLS
Develop a range of
thinking and behavioural
skills which can be used
to avoid offending
OASys self-assessment
Self-Report
Evidence/demonstration
of remorse for offending
Evidence/demonstration
of recognition of the
wider implications of
offending on the
community
Offender Manager
Reviews of case.
No further arrest
incidents
(1) Case Management 1
to 1 counselling
Offender
Probation Staff
sixteen weeks
(2)-
RELATIONSHIPS
Improved management
of personal relationships
OASys self-assessment
Evidence of development
of new
friendships/widening
social circle
Evidence of
strengthening of family
relationships
Offender Manager
reviews of case
No further arrest
incidents
(1) Case Management 1
to 1 counselling
Offender
Probation Staff
sixteen weeks
(2)-
I (3)-
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PSR - Janet Louise SKINNER:
- CRN: GG02409 - PNC: 33-993399H
EMOTIONAL Imoroved self Evidence from OASys (1) Case Management 1 I Offender sixteen weeks
WELLBEING management/use of Self Assessment to 1 counselling
coping skills/self control Self Report - Probation Staff
Evidence of increased
self esteem =
Evidence of attachment { (2) - - -
to community based -
facilities -
Evidence of development
of new friendships and =
widening social circle (3) - - -
FINANCIAL Menage financial affairs I OASys Self Assessment I (1) Case Management 1 I Offender sixteen weeks
MANAGEMENT within existing income Evidence of preparation { to 1 counselling
of income and
expenditure sheet
Seif Report
Offender Manager
Reviews of case
No further arrest
incidents linked to
finances
Probation Staff
(2)-
(3)-
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