A former bookkeeper of a pre-press firm has been jailed for over three years, after pleading guilty to credit card fraud against the firm’s managing director, Eddie Tucker
A woman has been jailed for three years and two months after stealing at least £50,000 from her pre-press print employer, all while the head of the firm was battling with cancer.
According to a recent report by the BBC, 47-year-old Donna Pope from Ormskirk used a business credit card owned by Ultimatum Group for personal payments including gym memberships, foreign holidays, and internet shopping.
Pope committed the fraud while working as a bookkeeper at Ultimatum Group. According to a subsequent report by the Lancashire Police, Pope used the company card to buy herself new radiators and was also approached by her boss to ask why transactions to Zara and Shein were showing in the bank statements.
Ultimatum Group, which offered pre-press and pre-media print services as well as the manufacture of printing ink, was dissolved in July 2023 according to Companies House. The company, which was based in Burscough near Ormskirk, was headed by managing director, Eddie Tucker.
Preston Crown Court heard that Pope’s sustained campaign of fraud took place over a two-year period between February 2022 and February 2024, while Tucker was undergoing treatment for cancer.
According to the BBC report, the company went into liquidation following the discovery of Pope's fraud, which was uncovered when auditors were called into the business.
With the records listed on Companies House in mind, the timeline of fraud would in fact span both the active life of the business and its subsequent insolvency proceedings.
Tucker is a prominent figure in the UK print industry, currently working as managing director of Liyu England, a company that distributes wide-format UV digital printers, cutters, and solutions to the UK market.
Tucker played a central role in establishing the Liyu brand in the UK commercial market. Under his leadership, Liyu England transitioned from being an exclusive hardware distributor for manufacturer, Platinum Technologies LIYU, into an independent sales office.
Upon his return to the industry following further cancer treatment in 2025, Tucker secured a major strategic partnership with independent kit supplier, CMYUK, to offer its range of products to Liyu England’s existing customer base.
The sentencing hearing of Pope for the fraud took place at Preston Crown Court, where the court heard that prosecutors had accepted a figure of £50,000 which was stolen, although Tucker believes the total amount exceeded £100,000.
According to the BBC report on the court case, Pope initially claimed that the company card had accidentally been linked to her PayPal account but later pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position.
In a victim impact statement presented to the court at the sentencing hearing, Tucker was quoted as saying: "She was improving her life while mine was falling apart."
When passing sentence, recorder Ayesha Siddiqi reportedly stated that Pope had carried out a "deliberate and sustained" fraud which was an "abuse of trust".
Siddiqi subsequently said: "You knew he was unwell and needed time off work. Your actions have had very severe implications for Mr Tucker and his family. He's had to take on that debt himself, when he should be concentrating on his health."
