A 31-year-old Gloucester woman who has admitted defrauding three businesses of almost £110,000 while working as their bookkeeper is claiming she did it because she was under pressure from a 'dangerous and violent man.'

Sophie Workman of Robin Close, Abbeydale, Gloucester, was due to be sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on Tuesday (December 21) for the five offences of fraud by abuse of position which she has admitted.

Her fraud victims were PMP Genesis Ltd, the Gilly Slater Consultancy and Netball South West.

But the sentencing did not go ahead as planned yesterday after the judge, Recorder Richard Mawhinney, heard submissions from Workman's barrister, Gudrun Young.

Ms Young accepted that Workman had made no comment to police when first arrested but said that was because she was in 'genuine fear' of the man who had put her under 'a degree of duress' to commit the offences.

"She had very good reason for her no comment interview and that was that she was very frightened to give the name of the other person involved," said Ms Young.

"I would submit she was in genuine fear of a violent criminal."

The barrister said that if the court were to deal with Workman simply on the basis of the prosecution evidence the sentence she received would be different to what she would get if it was accepted that she had been 'the tool of a violent and dangerous man who she was frightened of.'

The defence case was that the man had taken the vast majority of the money which Workman had defrauded, added Ms Young.

She submitted that Workman's explanation, if accepted by the court, would offer 'very significant mitigation' which would affect the sentence she receives because it would reduce her culpability.

Recorder Mawhinney agreed to adjourn the case for a 'trial of issue' or 'Newton Hearing' at which he will hear evidence in support of Workman's explanation.

The hearing was set for February 10th and Workman was bailed till then.

Workman has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining £109,528.83, of which almost half, £48,242.93, was taken from Netball South West. She also defrauded £34,837.30 from Gilly Slater Consultancy and £26,448 from PMP Genesis Ltd, a company which has since been dissolved.

The charges to which Woodman pleaded guilty were:

*Fraud by abuse of position between May 21 and June 6, 2017 while occupying the position of book-keeper, causing Netball South West to suffer a loss;

*Between October 13, 2016 and May 2017 committed fraud by dishonestly abusing the role of book-keeper by making a personal gain £48,242.93 from Netball South West;

*On June 19, 2017, while employed as a book-keeper with Gilly Salter Consultancy, dishonestly obtained £31,563.00 as a personal financial gain; *Between May 31 and June 23, 2017, whilst occupying a role as book-keeper with Gilly Salter Consultancy, dishonestly abused her position in making a personal gain of £3,274.30; and

*Between April 13, 2016 and April 6, 2017 while occupying position of book-keeper for PMP Genesis Ltd, dishonestly abused the role by making a personal gain of £26,448.90 from company's funds.