Insurance firm boss escapes jail

AN Aviva manager who took a £4,500 cash bung to hand over confidential details of people involved in car crashes has been spared prison.

Tracey Miller, 42, supplied the "stolen" data to a man who approached her outside her place of work, so that he could make cold calls after road accidents. The impact of her actions was believed to be limited, Burnley Crown Court was told.

Mother-of-two Miller, who was said to have fallen on hard times, sobbed in the dock as she faced losing her liberty for the multiple breach of trust. She now has another job and, the court heard, has been told she won't lose it.

The defendant admitted bribery, which took place between May 15 and August 22, 2013, at Oldham. The defendant, of Cop Road, Oldham, received two years in jail, suspended for two years. She must pay £4,500 compensation within 12 months.

Prosecutor Helen Richardson told the hearing that at the time of the offence Miller was third party care team manager at Aviva: "It would appear some information had given rise to some claims, but Aviva are not in a position to confirm that."

Miss Richardson said the defendant, who took voluntary redundancy from Aviva in December 2013, was arrested last year. She had no previous convictions.

Andrew Marsh, defending Miller, said: "The defendant gave no thought really to the possible effects upon her employer."

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt said: "This is prison. It's that straightforward. It's a breach of trust of her employers, a breach of trust of society, it's a breach of trust of everybody. There has to be a deterrent element to this sentence."

The judge told the defendant: "You were trusted by this company. You were paid by this company and you breached their trust because of the lure of money."