[UK] Former HR manager ordered to pay £7k after lying about mother's death

A UK court has ordered a former NHS HR manager to repay £6,948.25 after she falsely claimed her mother had died to take paid leave and start another job, HR Magazine reports.

Leanne Underhill was employed at University Hospitals Dorset on an £80,000 annual salary when she took compassionate leave in May 2024. Ms Underhill claimed that her mother had passed away, according to reporting from The Independent. 

Ms Underhill reportedly got another HR job at Birmingham City Council, earning £550 a day. Suspicions were raised at the NHS trust which employed her when her new employer requested a reference for the role she had already started.

During an investigation by the trust’s counter fraud team, Ms Underhill admitted that she had lied about her mother’s death and taken a second job.

Robert Salame - prosecuting at Poole Magistrates’ Court - said, “While the value [of the fraud] is not excessive, with the position the defendant was in as a senior HR executive, it is a clear breach of trust.”

Source: HR Magazine

(Link and quote via original reporting)

A UK court has ordered a former NHS HR manager to repay £6,948.25 after she falsely claimed her mother had died to take paid leave and start another job, HR Magazine reports.

Leanne Underhill was employed at University Hospitals Dorset on an £80,000 annual salary when she took compassionate leave in May 2024. Ms Underhill claimed that her mother had passed away, according to reporting from The Independent. 

Ms Underhill reportedly got another HR job at Birmingham City Council, earning £550 a day. Suspicions were raised at the NHS trust which employed her when her new employer requested a reference for the role she had already started.

During an investigation by the trust’s counter fraud team, Ms Underhill admitted that she had lied about her mother’s death and taken a second job.

Robert Salame - prosecuting at Poole Magistrates’ Court - said, “While the value [of the fraud] is not excessive, with the position the defendant was in as a senior HR executive, it is a clear breach of trust.”

Source: HR Magazine

(Link and quote via original reporting)