Susanne Redhead has been jailed after she plundered huge amounts from the company she worked for and spent it on gambling
18:00, 16 Jan 2026Updated 18:57, 16 Jan 2026
Susanne Redhead (Image: Simon Greener/Newcastle Chronicle)
A family firm almost went under when their accounts manager stole £767,000 and blew it all on gambling in an “utterly disgusting” betrayal of trust. Susanne Redhead stole the staggering sums from under the noses of her employer and put the jobs of friends and colleagues at risk, a court heard.
Redhead had worked for Newcastle-based Pure Panel Management since 2010 and had worked her way up to become accounts manager, with no one above her in the accounts department. Her offending came to light in January 2025, when it emerged she had been making regular payments to herself, including £100,000 in the previous seven days and £363,000 in December 2024 alone.
When she was told to stop working immediately, she replied: “I knew this was coming. I’ve been gambling.” A subsequent investigation showed that between November 2023 and January 2025, she had stolen £767,272 in 445 separate transactions.
Gurjot Kaur, prosecuting, said: “When the office was closed over Christmas, she maximised this opportunity and completely wiped out the accounts.” The court heard after she “took everything” over the Christmas 2024 period, the company was left in “minus figures” for the first time in its history.
In a victim impact statement, managing director James Gillam said: “I’m so shocked and annoyed by what she’s done. She put the company on the brink of collapse and could have ruined many families lives.
“She decided to steal every last penny from the business, from the company that has looked after her for the last 15 years.”
Susanne Redhead, jailed for theft(Image: )
Mr Gillam said the company had paid for an expensive outing for staff to go and watch Newcastle United play in the Carabao Cup quarter final, including drinks and other expenses. He added: “The previous evening she had stolen £18 from the team around her.
“I don’t know how anyone could do what she has done. How she could come to the office acting normally while stealing nearly £800,000.
“We are her former friends. She has taken advantage of that in the worse possible way.”
Helen Scorer, operations director at the firm, branded her actions “utterly disgusting” and said she had jeopardised jobs. She added: “She was part of our family and almost brought us to the point of bankruptcy.”
Redhead, 53,of Wroxham Court, in Newbiggin Hall, Newcastle, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to theft and was jailed for three years. Jailing her, Judge Tim Gittins said: “These are quite staggering sums.
“You have devastated colleagues who treated you as a close friend and trusted you implicitly and you have shattered their confidence and put the company at the risk of collapse.”
Penny Hall, defending, said: “Before allowing herself to become involved in taking money, she would never have thought she would find herself sitting in the dock of the crown court looking at a prison sentence.
“She worked for this company for a long time and was well thought of. She had a gambling problem. She started by taking a small amount and thought she could pay it back.
“Someone who has a gambling problem will always think they will win back the money they lost. She thought she would win the money back and would be able to pay it back but clearly it was out of control.
“She had taken so much more money than she ever thought she had. The total amount has all gone on her gambling addiction, she has not lived a lavish lifestyle as a result, she has not purchased items, she does not have anything to show for it.
“She’s ashamed, embarrassed and genuinely remorseful for what she has done. She knows she was trusted with this money and she never thought she would put herself or them in this position.”
Redhead will be subject to Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings to try to claw back any assets she may have.
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