Office manager jailed for stealing £100,000 from clients so she could 'live like a TOWIE girl' paying for a boob job and sports car

Louise Hitchen, 27, took compensation money earmarked for PPI claimants

Over four months payments totaling £93,250.56 diverted to her bank account

Hitchen spent cash on £5,000 boob job, convertible car and shopping sprees

Staff at Hardwick Financial Services Ltd lost their jobs as a result of thefts



She admitted two counts of fraud and was jailed for 12 months

Jailed: Louise Hitchen, 27, stole nearly £100,000 from her clients so she could 'live like a TOWIE girl' and pay for a boob job as well as sports car

An office manager has been jailed after she stole nearly £100,000 from her clients so she could 'live like a TOWIE girl' and pay for a boob job as well as a sports car.

Louise Hitchen, 27, syphoned compensation money earmarked for clients of a Payment Protection Insurance claims firm into her own bank account over the course of four months.

She then underwent around £5,000 worth of breast enhancement surgery, bought a convertible sports car and embarked on spending sprees at shops, bars and restaurants - like the stars of ITV's The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE).

She was unmasked as a thief after she left her job at Hardwick Financial Solutions Ltd based in Wigan, Greater Manchester when a client queried the whereabouts of her PPI payout with the claims firm.

When staff investigated they discovered that Hitchen had diverted the settlement money, and up to 14 other clients were affected by the thefts.



The company has said staff lost their jobs to fund the losses caused by the theft.



Hitchen, of Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside, admitted two counts of fraud by abuse of position of trust and was jailed for 12 months at Liverpool Crown Court.

She has since handed back a total of £23,000 including a Vauxhall Astra convertible she bought with the stolen money.

Police said Hitchen joined Hardwick, which dealt with Payment Protection Insurance claims and settlements to clients, as an administration manager in March 2011.

However, following a period of poor performance she left the office on 19 October 2012, and did not return for her next shift. She later resigned.

In December 2012, Hitchen’s former line manager was contacted by a customer who was querying the whereabouts of the funds she had been due to receive.



Scene: Hitchen was working at Hardwick Financial Solutions Ltd in Wigan, Greater Manchester when she started syphoning clients' funds into her own account

A subsequent investigation established that the client’s money had been paid into Hitchen’s account, rather than the account of Hardwick Financial Solutions Ltd.

Some funds were returned by Hitchen at this time, as well as the Astra.

The firm also discovered electronic and paper records of transactions had been deleted so they had no way of establishing whether any other funds had been stolen.

Police were called in March 2013 when a further client claimed they were owed money.



Hitchen’s bank accounts were probed and fifteen transfers from companies who settle claims with Hardwick were identified.

Fraud: Hitchen, of Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside, admitted two counts of fraud by abuse of position of trust and was jailed for 12 months at Liverpool Crown Court

Funds: Police said the money was used to pay for a breast enhancement and a car, while numerous transactions were made at food and retail outlets

In total the payments into her bank account amounted to £93,250.56. Police said the money was used to pay for a breast enhancement and a car, while numerous transactions were made at food and retail outlets.

Police, who said Hitchen appeared to want to use the cash to live like a member of TOWIE, established that 15 people had not received money from their claims. They have since been reimbursed.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Detective constable Mark Edwards, from Greater Manchester Police said: 'In the space of about four months Louise Hitchen stole close to £100,000.

'With the exception of the cosmetic surgery and car - which has since been returned - Louise Hitchen frittered away much of the cash on shopping sprees and trips out.