Wessex Cancer Charity 'relieved' after former finance boss Paula Tribbeck jailed

Paula Tribbeck was jailed at Southampton Crown Court on Friday after she took £91,344 from a bank account owned by Wessex Cancer Trust.

A court heard how the 48-year-old who at the time was working as a financial coordinator at the trust went on to live “beyond her means”, spending the money on holidays and shopping.

But after she was sentenced to two years imprisonment, senior staff at the trust have said they are “relieved”.

Picture by Hampshire Constabulary. (Image: Hampshire Constabulary.)

READ MORE: Paula Tribbeck jailed for stealing from Wessex Cancer Trust 

The Wessex Cancer Trust helps Isle of Wight people affected by cancer as well as in the rest of Wessex, with a centre in Newport that opened in 2020 after a major fund-raising push.

Diane Cutler, chair of trustees, and Rachel Billsberry-Grass, chief executive, Wessex Cancer Trust, said: “We are relieved that this matter has now been concluded by the Courts.

“We have been devastated that Paula Tribbeck, a trusted member of staff would steal from our charity.

“This fraud dates back to 2019 and [this] sentencing marks the end of an almost three-year legal process.

“This has been a difficult time for the charity, and we would like to thank all our staff, volunteers and supporters who continue to help us to provide desperately needed emotional support for local people living with cancer.”

Tribbeck of Broadlands Road, Southampton, first joined the charity in 1993 but began stealing money in 2013, throughout a period when Wessex Cancer Trust was going through financial difficulties.

Marie Rowland was head of finance at the time of the incident and later left saying Tribbeck’s actions were the “principal reason” for her departure.

In a statement read out in court, she added: “I feel absolutely devastated that Paula appears to have taken so much from such a worthwhile charity.”