started · updated
Donna Pope jailed for 38 months after £50,000 fraud at Lancashire printing firm
Donna Pope, 47, of Bickerstaffe near Ormskirk, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to 38 months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud by abuse of position. Over a two‑year period from February 2022 to February 2024 she used a company credit card belonging to Ultimatum Group Ltd, a printing firm in Burscough, to divert roughly £50,000 for personal expenses, including holidays in Amsterdam and Malaga, clothing from Zara and Shein, a personal trainer, car insurance, phone bills, radiators and other purchases.
The fraud occurred while the firm’s managing director, Eddie Tucker, was receiving treatment for stage‑four cancer, leaving him absent from the business. Tucker told the court that Pope’s actions devastated the company’s finances, forced Ultimatum Group into liquidation, and caused lasting emotional and financial harm to his family. Pope’s false explanations – such as claiming an accidental link between the company card and her PayPal account – were rejected, and she was sentenced to three years and two months imprisonment.
Entities
Donna Pope · Eddie Tucker · Preston Crown Court · Ultimatum Group Ltd
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The fraud forced Ultimatum Group Ltd into liquidation. www.gbnews.com · www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
- [● 3 SOURCES] Donna Pope, 47, stole approximately £50,000 from Ultimatum Group Ltd. www.gbnews.com · www.liverpoolecho.co.uk · www.lancs.live
- [● 3 SOURCES] The fraud took place between February 2022 and February 2024. www.gbnews.com · www.liverpoolecho.co.uk · www.lancs.live
- [● 3 SOURCES] Eddie Tucker, managing director of Ultimatum Group Ltd, was undergoing cancer treatment during the fraud. www.gbnews.com · www.liverpoolecho.co.uk · www.lancs.live
- [● 3 SOURCES] Pope used the company credit card for personal expenses, including holidays to Amsterdam and Malaga, clothing, a personal trainer, car insurance, phone bills, radiators and purchases from Amazon, Shei www.gbnews.com · www.liverpoolecho.co.uk · www.lancs.live
- [● 3 SOURCES] Pope pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position. www.gbnews.com · www.liverpoolecho.co.uk · www.lancs.live
- [● 3 SOURCES] Eddie Tucker said the fraud devastated his business, finances and his family's sense of security. www.gbnews.com · www.liverpoolecho.co.uk · www.lancs.live
- [● 3 SOURCES] She was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to 38 months (three years and two months) imprisonment. www.gbnews.com · www.liverpoolecho.co.uk · www.lancs.live