Cosmetic clinic manager, 36, who stole nearly £50,000 to pay for treatments so ... trends now
A cosmetic clinic manager who stole nearly £50,000 to pay for treatments so she could 'look perfect' and fit in with her 'beautiful' colleagues has avoided jail.
Rebecca Le-Clercq, 36, spent her ill-gotten gains on 'shallow and materialistic things' she flaunted on social media to make herself look good.
She had beauty work worth thousands of pounds, such as anti-wrinkle injections, fat-freezing and hydrafacial treatments, and lived a luxury lifestyle she could not afford.
The mother-of-two, from Bournemouth, frittered away the money on trips to five star hotels and Center Parcs and spoiling her children with riding lessons and new clothes.
Le-Clercq's defence barrister said she had suffered from 'imposter syndrome' when she found herself surrounded by 'beautiful and confident women' and felt pressure to look like them.
Cosmetic clinic manager Rebecca Le-Clercq (pictured outside Bournemouth Crown Court), 36, who stole nearly £50,000 to pay for treatments so she could 'look perfect' and fit in with her 'beautiful' colleagues has avoided jail
Rebecca Le-Clercq (circled) with her former colleagues at River Aesthetics in Bournemouth
But Judge Robert Pawson told Le-Clercq that she was 'entirely selfish' and described some of her social media posts as her 'cavorting around the place having fun.'
She was the practice manager for award-winning River Aesthetics, a private beauty clinic in Bournemouth, Dorset.
Customers spent thousands of pounds on treatments like skin tightening, face lifts and lip fillers.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard that instead of depositing cash payments into the company's bank account she transferred them to her own from April 2022 to March 2023.
She was caught when the clinic's accountant notified owner Dr Victoria Manning of a cash shortfall of £48,683.
Dr Manning approached Le-Clercq about the missing money and she claimed it was in a holding account due to an incorrect number and would be resolved.
But she then walked out of the building, leaving a resignation letter behind for Dr Manning.
Richard Tutt, prosecuting, said: 'A colleague informed Dr Manning that she had left the building and gone missing about an hour-and-a-half earlier. She then found a resignation letter from Rebecca Le-Clercq resigning with immediate effect.
'Paying in receipts given to Rebecca Le-Clercq had gone missing. Dr Manning began to suspect she was responsible for this shortfall.
'Rebecca Le-Clercq admitted to taking the cash. She stated a number of personal reasons for doing so including mental health, her father's death and the breakdown of her marriage.'
Rebecca Le-Clercq pictured receiving 'CoolSculpting' treatment at River
