An office employee secured over £20,000 in sick pay after misleading her employer into believing she had contracted HIV from an assault and was afflicted with cancer.
Rorison falsified her own sick notes employing the credentials of actual medical professionals; however, when her workplace requested to view her medical records, she firmly rejected the request.
The 50-year-old customer service advisor also misled her employer, falsely asserting that she had been a victim of medical malpractice and had developed both liver and kidney tumors.
In total, she claimed £22,102.92 in sick pay from the insurance provider Domestic and General, based on Station Street, which dismissed her when the deceit was revealed, as presented in court at Nottingham Crown.
During proceedings at Nottingham Crown Court, Rorison was sentenced to a 20-month prison term, which was suspended for two years.
Recorder Adrian Jack remarked: ‘Over an extended duration, you pursued your employer to obtain over £22,000 in sick pay that you were not entitled to.
‘You executed a major act of fraud and generated fictitious letters purportedly from the hospital that led to you acquiring considerable funds to which you were not entitled.’
Rorison commenced her role at Domestic and General on November 6, 2017, and initiated her first claim approximately a year later, seeking a transition to a flexible working pattern due to her cancer treatment for a brain tumor.
Prosecutor Laura Hocknell explained: ‘On May 14, 2019, occupational health provided feedback indicating that she was undergoing ongoing cancer treatment, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In December 2020, she informed them that she had undergone surgery to remove lymph nodes, but they had reappeared.
‘In 2021, she asserted she was receiving dialysis for a kidney tumor and additionally had a liver tumor. She claimed to have experienced medical negligence.
‘In September 2021, she stated that she was afflicted with anxiety due to the radiotherapy and in 2022 claimed she was raped and contracted HIV. Her employer requested authorization to examine her medical records, but she refused.
‘Subsequently, she sent letters to her employer claiming to originate from doctors at Woodthorpe Hospital, falsely confirming her HIV status. An employee at Woodthorpe Hospital subsequently verified that these letters were not authentic. She was subsequently summoned to Domestic and General and dismissed.
‘They reported the situation to the police. She was interviewed on October 10, 2023, and confessed to fabricating the doctor’s letters.’
Rorison, residing on Rose Grove, confessed to fraud and has no prior convictions.
Mitigating attorney Sian Barber stated that her client ‘did genuinely have health issues’ but acknowledged that ‘the situation completely spiraled out of control’, leading to the illegal actions. She elaborated: ‘I recognize on her behalf that this transpired over a protracted period; however, the motive was not financial gain.
‘She is assessed as a low risk for re-offending, has an elderly father for whom she provides care, and is contemplating relocating to Manchester, her hometown, to care for him full-time.’
As part of the suspended sentence ruling, the judge mandated the defendant to engage in 20 rehabilitation sessions and adhere to a 12-month mental health treatment regimen.
She was also ordered to reimburse the entire £22,102.92 to Domestic and General as restitution within the next year or face the possibility of imprisonment for as much as 18 months.
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