A former marketing director at housebuilder Crest Nicholson has been jailed for nine months for stealing almost £45,000 from her employer.
Anne Marie Fendi was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court last month after pleading guilty to five counts of theft.

The court was told that Fendi, 37, had altered invoices and expense claims to fund a lavish lifestyle. She produced bogus invoices from a fictitious company called Beneficial Graphics, then pocketed the cheques herself.

The thefts occurred between December 2002 and October 2003 when Fendi, who earned £100,000 a year as sales and marketing director for Crest Nicholson's London division, was employed at the company's head office in Weybridge, Surrey.

Fendi used the money to buy designer clothes and luxury furniture, and to take out advertisements in the national press for her husband's property company. The amount stolen was £44,736.

The thefts were brought to light when colleagues noticed inconsistencies in paperwork and called in detectives.