A 37-year-old HMRC worker, Joanne Connell, has been jailed for two years for embezzling £200,000 in taxpayer funds. She used her position to create bogus credits in the HMRC system, transferring the money into her personal bank account to pay off her £80,000 mortgage and other debts. Connell, who had worked for HMRC for 15 years, continued the embezzlement even during sick leave. She was arrested in March 2023 and admitted using the stolen money to settle her financial obligations.