A campaigner who protested against NHS cuts has been jailed after stealing £50,000 from the GP surgery where she worked.
Patricia Mayo pushed the surgery to the brink of insolvency after plundering accounts.
The 60-year-old worked at the Hartwood Health Centre in Hartcliffe, Bristol, between 2011 and 2016, starting on a £40,000-a-year salary.
But when she left it emerged that Mayo began started paying herself an unauthorised £2,000 in 2012, which doubled the following year until a total of more than £50,000 had been stolen.
Mayo, now of Wokingham, Berks, was still employed as a practice manager at another NHS surgery when she was jailed for 12 months.
Dr Dougal Darvill, a senior partner at the health centre, said Mayo had campaigned against NHS cuts during her employment and that the surgery had be left at risk of insolvency.
Prosecutor Simon Goodman said a new practice manager and accountant discovered “anomalies” once Mayo left.
Goodman said: “It was clear that some substantial sums had been paid into this defendant’s bank account between April and November 2015.”
Police launched an investigation and thefts dating back to 2012 were discovered.
Mayo claimed she had taken around £56,000 but the CPS believe it was nearer to £63,000.
Defending, Emily Evans said Mayo was trying to provide a better life for her daughter.
Judge Julian Lambert sentenced her to 12 months for fraud by abuse of position, which she pleaded guilty to.
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