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Employee spent stolen £1.7m on horses 'as it was more addictive than drugs'

Lisa Crawshaw has been jailed for her £1.7 million fraud, which she used to buy expensive horses. (Humberside Police/PA)
Lisa Crawshaw has been jailed for her £1.7 million fraud, which she used to buy expensive horses. (Humberside Police/PA)

A fraudster who stole £1.7m from her employer to spend on expensive horses, a habit she found "more addictive than drugs", has been jailed.

Lisa Crawshaw, 45, "destroyed" the North Lincolnshire business as she funded what police described as her "luxurious lifestyle", using the money to buy the animals and equestrian equipment.

The owners of the company she worked for, which was not named by police, only discovered the fraud after they began to receive debt collection letters after selling the company.

Crawshaw, of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was jailed for five years for fraud at Grimsby Crown Court on 26 February after admitting the crime.

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A general view of Grimsby Crown Court, Grimsby.
A general view of Grimsby Crown Court, Grimsby.

Detective Sergeant Ben Robinson, of Humberside Police's Economic Crime Unit, said: "Fraud can be an extremely distressing offence to become a victim of, especially when the level of offending is of the magnitude in this case.

"It is clear that Lisa Crawshaw had no regard for her employers and instead defrauded them to fund her own luxuries.

"With a habit of buying horses ‘more addictive than drugs’, as said in her own words, Miss Crawshaw not only destroyed a successful North Lincolnshire business, she also destroyed the owners’ years of dedication and future financial security.

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"Investigators from our asset recovery team continue to make enquiries into any assets that have been gained as a result of Lisa Crawshaw’s criminality.

"She will now have the next few years in prison to reflect on her actions, and I do hope this goes some way to bringing the victims a sense of closure."

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