Financial Investigation Events Log
Case Number: POLTD/0809/0101
Mike Wilcox
Date
Events
Initials
1. Suspects name: Susan RUDKIN
2. Suspects Position held: Wife of Sub-
postmaster (assistant)
Enquiry type: Audit shortage
Loss: £43,700.00
. Office: IBSTOCK
Branch Code: 223/217
. Address of Office: 118-120 High Street
IBSTOCK LE67 6Ld
8. Suspects Home address:
aa aw
9. Other details: Husband senior member of
deration.
GH
21/08/08
Case Summary:
Audit Deficiency. Sub-postmaster (Michael Rudkin)
is Chairman of the Negotiating Panel for the
National Federation of Sub-postmasters. Branch is
managed by his wife Susan Rudkin, who has
admitted to the theft of £40k. Mrs Rudkin when
interviewed stated that since February 2007 she
covered losses and paid funds into her bank
account to pay bills.
Mrs Rudkin said that she had let things get out
of control as she was running the private
business, the PO counter and the sorting office
staff (14 postmen). She admitted to taking PO
money and paying into Lloyds Bank business
accounts to meet bills. Also the inflating the
cash to cover up weekly losses in the PO. It was
not possible to establish a firm date when this
started but she says it is since the robbery at
the office some two years ago. Paperwork from
office shows that the figure was around £24k
short in September (20072). Total difference in
cash on audit was £43700. She confirmed that no
staff were aware of what she was doing and her
husband had not worked in the PO for over a year
and he was unaware of the shortage until today as
he played no part in running the office.
Postmaster suspended 20/8/08
© Suspect offender report reference 1 in file
GH
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23/08/08
« Interim report received reference 2 in file
GH
23/08/08
The Post OfficeO Network Auditors, led by Paul
Field visited Ibstock Post Office® on Wednesday
20th August 2008 to conduct a verification of
assets audit. er being admitted to the office
the wife of the Postmaster, Mrs Susan RUDKIN
requested a private word with Paul Field. She
then informed him that the safe would be around
£40,000 short.
The office which has 3 HORIZON terminals and
employs 5 part time staff is sited within a
newsagents and general dealers in a rural village
on the outskirts of Leicester. There is also a
Sorting office on the premises which is a base
for 14 postmen.
The office was victim to a robbery in January
2006 and the last risk based audit was undertaken
on 7% December 2006.
Mr Rudkin said that he would allow an interview
to take place on his premises and said that his
wife would cooperate fully with any investigation
and would not require a solicitor.
He handed me a signed admission statement, by Mrs
Rudkin and informed me that at the time, the
discrepancy in the account was £43856:89 which
was mainly due to a shortage in the cash of
£43761:17.
conducted a tape-recorded interview with Susan
RUDKIN in the private residence at Ibstock Post
Officeo.
During the interview Susan Rudkin explained that
her husband was heavily involved in NFSP work and
she felt that the pressure of running the private
business, the Post Office® and the household
finances had gotten too much. She said that the
Post Office had been experiencing losses and she
had been inflating the cash on hand to cover it
up. She also said that she had been taking cash
from the Post Office® and paying it into their
Lloyds bank business account to cover bills. It
was not possible to establish an exact date when
the theft started but she said that she had been
under pressure since the robbery. Susan Rudkin
said that she felt embarrassed to tell her
husband about the situation and felt that she had
let him down. When asked about the cash
declarations she said she that she kept a running
total of the shortages and just added this amount
onto the daily figures. She was adamant that no
one else knew what she was doing and on the
occasions that other staff members declared the
cash she would overwrite the figures. Susan
Rudkin acknowledged that she had stolen the money
from the Post Office® (although the initial
intention was to repay it) and was not at present
able to repay i
Mr & Mrs Rudkin live {I
! GRO around
£450k. There is a £250k mortgage outstanding and
the only other known debt is a card
statement for around £10k. None of these figures
can be confirmed until the usual financial check
results are received.
Mr Rudkin feels there will be no prosecution when
the money is repaid and he will be reinstated in
post.
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26/08/08
e FES reference 3 in file
26/08/08 I Analysis of FES GH
* Premises I shop owned
by Mr & Mrs Rudkin 118-120 High Street
Ibstock LE67 6LJ (Valued around £490k and
£250k mortgage.
* Volvo V70 (Husbands car l0years
old)
* Vauxhall Vectra I 3.1/2 years old
° loyds TSB dit cards f 7
(Mr EM ~£10800 /
* lloyds TSB (Rudkin EM & SJ T/A
Ibstock Post Officed) 5
¢ Michael Rudkin Husband {
Po renumeration approx £80k
.
I GRO
26/08/08 * Copy of GS207 reference 4 in file GH
¢ Results of GS207 reference 4 in file
02/09/08 © Offender report reference 5 in file GH
03/09/08 ¢ Financial documents recovered at search GH
reference 6 in file
1. Credit d statement yds TSB Ernest
Rudkin 3
(this account has negative balance of
£10,797.23 on September 2008)
2. Lloyds curr EM
Trading as! GRO
between 2° July and 1** august with only
credit period between 31°* July and 1*
august.
04/09/08 I Further documents received. GH
1. Copy of signed report by auditors also
signed (allegedly by Susan RUDKIN)
2. GS207 in respect of 118-120 High Street
BSTOCK LE67 6Ld
3. Results ofGS204 in respect of Susan Rudkin
4. PNC GS202 and results
5. GS205 and results
* Copy of signed report by auditors also
signed (allegedly by Susan RUDKIN)
reference 7 in file
¢ GS207 in respect of 118-120 High Street
IBSTOCK LE67 6LJ reference 4 in file
* Results of GS204 in respect of Susan Rudkin
(DOB 14/02/1955) reference 7 in file
¢ PNC GS202 and results reference 7 in file
* GS205 and results reference 7 in file
04/08/08 I Analysis of land registry GH
Premises [ shop owned
by Mr & Mrs Rudkin 118-120 High Street
Ibstock LE67 6LJ (Valued around £490k and
£250k mortgage.
Price said to have been paid on 30%
November 2000 was £150,000
Current price (£321,119) house price
calculator (not totally confident in this
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gure however it is all I have.)
Analysis of Equifax
* Outstanding balances total £27,085
04/09/08 I Copy of tape summary reference 8 in file GH
Analysis
* Money taken from the post office and paid
into the Lloyds account to pay bills
* Record kept of payments (where is this)
04/09/08 I Analysis GH
* The office was victim to a robbery in
January 2006 and the last risk based audit
was undertaken on 7% December 2006.
e It is indicated that this may be the point
at which the thefts may have first
occurred.
* TC to Nikki Dummett to see the post
incident file re the “robbery”
* out standing debts and loans I should
consider securing the loss by restraint.
© Sub-postmaster may or may not pay back.
Could claim his share in equity and not
deal with his obligations under his
contract
* This could course be general criminal
conduct and bring the whole office into the
recovery figure and as such it is currently
difficult to establish her extent of
benefit.
* Robbery was this suspicious or not.
09/09/08 © Telephone message from Peter Mitchell GH
(Security Advisor) he says that there was
some suspicions about the robbery in
January 2006
10/09/08 © Considering restraint discussed with Dave GH
Pardoe. He requested a written response
om him with reasons to restrain.
11/09/08 © Spoke to Peter Mitchell he says that- GH
* Robbery on 5% Jan 2006 loss £58,251.80
11/09/08 ¢ Written response sent reference 9 in file GH
11/09/08 * Requested and received all related GH
documents to the robbery dated 5% Jan 2006
© P2570A
¢ INCIDENT report
© SECURITY REPORT
¢ P32(pass word p32)
* All documents reference ?? in file
Note that from the documentation the culpability
was finally (on appeal ) set at £0
11/09/08 ° Requested office File from Craig Thompson GH
18/09/08 © Received office file
* Office file reference 10 in file
18/09/08 I Email from Dave agreeing to restraint and further GH
investigation
Have discussed with John S and advised on our
potential courses of action; please continue on
both points - restraint and consideration of
revisit of previous incidence. The allocated
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Fraud Advisor must apprise the appropriate
stakeholder of the planned activity.
Mail forwarded to Mike Wilcox
18/09/08 I Tc to Juliet. GH
Explained current position and she agrees
restraint
18/09/08 © Restraint docs prepared GH
¢ Court arranged for 10 on 22m
¢ Court 1 HHJ Ainley
* 20080357
22/09/08 e Attended Court GH
¢ Orders signed
¢ Copy of statement & Order sent to S Rudkin
(ZI 2287 8799 9GB)
© Copy of statement sent to Mr. Rudkin (Zo
2287 8798 5GB)
© Copy of statement & RX1 sent to Land
registry (Leicester office) (ZJ 2287 8800
5GB)
22/09/08 *° Copy of statement reference 11 in file GH
* Copy of Order reference 11 in file
* Copy of RX1 reference 11 in file
* Copy of J392 reference 11 in file
08/10/08 I Charge GH
"FOR THAT YOU Susan Jane Rudkin between the 1:t day
of January 2007
and the 20% day of August 2008 at Ibstock Post
Office stole £43,894.15
belonging to Post Office Limited".
(Contrary to Section 1(1) of the Theft Act 1968)
09/02/09 I Mr Rudkin has been put back in post and is
repaying the Post Office® £1000 a month from his
remuneration.
25/02/09 I posT OFFICE LIMITED v SUSAN JANE RUDKIN GH
COALVILLE MAGISTRATES COURT - 137! MARCH 2009 AT
10AM
CASE NO: POLTD/0809/0101
25/02/09 I section 18 prepared and forwarded to Jarnail and GH
Mike Wilcox
25/03/09 I Please find attached a section 18 request to be GH
served on the defendant should she plead or be
found guilty in a crown court.
We need to ensure that our agents ask for
confiscation and ask for compensation, and that
they request the compensation be deferred to the
outcome of any future confiscation hearing.
With an outstanding amount for £43,894.15 the
court may " incorrectly" at an early time agree
confiscation and compensation and make an order
at the time of the hearing without waiting for a
financial report (I say incorrectly because this
offence falls into the category of "General
Criminal Conduct" and as such it would be
impossible at this point for the court to agree
the defendant's total benefit from crime). In
this case the section 18 need not be served but
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the increase in the value of money from Jan 07
offence start to January 2009 added (this being
the latest figure on hand) and a benefit,
confiscation and compensation figure of
£44, 689.82 should be sought.
If there is any other way I may assist please do
not hesitate to contact me
18/03/09
POST OFFICE LIMITED v SUSAN JANE RUDKIN
BURTON-ON-TRENT MAGISTRATES COURT — 23%) MARCH
2009 AT 10AM
CASE NO: POLTD/0809/0101
I have now been notified by our Agent Mr John Dove
that the Magistrates agreed to transfer the case
out of the Leicestershire jurisdiction that Mrs
Rudkin is not only married to a Magistrates who
currently sits on the Coalville Bench but Mr
Rudkin himself is being prosecuted also in
Coalville by Leicester County Council’s Trading
Standards Department. The case has therefore been
transferred into the neighbouring Staffordshire
and the case is to be heard at Burton-on-Trent
Magistrates Court on the 234 March 2009 at 10am.
GH
23/04/09
REGINA v_ SUSAN JANE RUDKIN
STAFFORD CROWN COURT
SENTENCE — 187 MAY 2009 AT 10.30AM
CASE NO: POLTD/0809/0101
I have now been notified that the above case is
listed for Sentence at Stafford Crown Court on the
1st May 2009 at 10.30am.
The prosecution will be conducted by our Agent Mr
John H Dove, Solicitor Advocate of 9 Apley Mews,
Apley Hall, Stockt Shropshire, WV15 5NE
GH
01/05/09
E-mail from Mike
Section 18 served 1/5/09
Defence response by 29/5/09
Prosecution response by 10/7/09
Defence reply by 24/7/09
Hearing set for a date (1 hour) during 17 -
21/8/09. To be confirmed by listings and agent.
GH
29/05/09
No response from Rudkin for section 18
GH
09/06/09
E-mail to Jarnail
Re the above case. Rudkin was ordered by Stafford
CC to respond to the section 18 by 29th May 2009.
Have you received her affidavit yet?
GH
06/07/09
¢ Section 16 completed and forwarded to CLT
e SD item (23964264720GB)
GH
13/08/09
REGINA v SUSAN JANE RUDKIN
STAFFORD CROWN COURT
CONFISCATION PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE PROCEEDS OF
CRIME ACT -
19™ AUGUST 2009
CASE NO: POLTD/0809/0101
I have now received a notification that on a
request from Defence Counsel and also our Counsel
Ms Henrietta Paget has no objection the case has
now been listed for hearing on the 19% August.
GH
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2009.
17/08/09 1. Spoke with Ms Henrietta Paget, she says that GH
there was an undertaking given in court that
there would not be a POCA request for any
figure greater than the loss. She says that
this could be argued in court but that the
outcome would not be certain and that there
could be some criticism of POLTD. She
suggested that I consider our position and
if I should accept this position or go for
the extended benefit figure. She further
stated that there was a significant document
from the defence which had yet to be passed
to me by Jarnail
2. Spoke to Julian and informed him of the
position. He agrees that we should not press
the extended benefit figure.
18/08/09 xmed with Late accounts (53092132) that GH
Rudkin has paid back £8,000 since December 2008.
19/08/09 I stafford CC Confiscation Hearing GH
¢ Benefit figure £43,894.15
* Available amount £35,894.15 (SPM had paid
back £8,000)
© Confiscation £35,894.15
© Compensation £35,894.15
¢ 6 months to pay
¢ Default sentence 15 months
«Restraint discharged
24/08/09 I Restraint discharge and RX4 sent to land GH
registry.
ZI 9642 6188 7GB
01/03/10 I REGINA v SUSAN JANE RUDKIN GH
STAFFORD CROWN COURT
SATISFACTION OF CONFISCATION ORDER
CASE NO: POLTD/0809/0101
I have heard from Stafford Crown Court who has
informed me that the application for extension of
the Confiscation Order has been granted and the
time extended to 18 August 2010 pursuant to
Section 11(5) POCA.
20/04/10 * Case handed over to Paul Southin GH
* rack recovery against the order and then
close
22/08/11 e Balance of the compensation order received PS
(£28,500.00) and banked. Case to be
formally closed.
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