JK Rowling’s PA ‘was an astonishingly skilled liar’
Author’s husband tells court of run-in with employee accused of £24k fraud
‘She remained completely calm’
JK ROWLING’S husband told a court yesterday he was astonished how ‘good at lying’ his wife’s PA was when he confronted her over an alleged £24,000 fraudulent shopping spree.
The Harry Potter author is suing her former employee Amanda Donaldson, 35, for using a company credit card to spend thousands on high-end cosmetics, food and even two luxury cats.
Her husband, Dr Neil Murray, uncovered the alleged fraud when Miss Donaldson stole a £400 cash deposit for a Christmas party at a Michelin-starred restaurant – then faked emails from the restaurant to cover her tracks.
Giving evidence at Airdrie Sheriff Court yesterday, Dr Murray said he was astonished when Miss Donaldson ‘looked straight at me and blatantly lied’ as he challenged her over the theft.
He said Miss Donaldson, who was sacked by Miss Rowling last year, stole Harry Potter merchandise intended for sick and dying children, then sought to blame other members of staff.
The PA, a mother- of-two from Lanarkshire, is accused of using a business credit card for personal spending that included £3,629 in Molton Brown, £1,482 in Jo Malone and more than £1,800 in Starbucks and Costa.
Of the moment he confronted Miss Donaldson, Dr Murray told the court: ‘Amanda had always adopted a lively, slightly bubbly, a bit scatty demeanour. I thought she might be emotional or run about the office looking for bits of paper but what I found was a completely different personality.
‘She blatantly lied about giving that money to the restaurant and lied about other things. I was taken aback at how good at lying she was.’
Dr Murray added: ‘I have experience of lying, I ran a methadone clinic and usually there are giveaway signs but she remained calm, her pupils didn’t close and her cheeks didn’t flush.’
The court heard that Miss Donaldson also took £7,742 of foreign money from an office safe to which only she had the combination. The PA, who began working for Miss Rowling in 2014, was responsible for company funds and memorabilia requests from fans.
She denies wrongly benefiting to a value of £23,696.32 and claims purchases were business-related. Asked if there was any reason for the £3,629 spent at Molton Brown, Dr Murray said: ‘Well not for the office. The vast majority was purchased by Amanda for Amanda.’
Dr Murray said his wife’s accountant, Stephen Simou, first emailed him over Miss Donaldson’s alleged fraud after she falsely claimed she had paid a £ 400 deposit for a booking at the Castle Terrace restaurant in Edinburgh.
They analysed her card statements and found ‘dozens if not hundreds of entries where Amanda has used the card to purchase things for herself’.
Mr Simou, 53, earlier told the hearing he queried Miss Donaldson about the supposed meal booking and believed she had faked emails from the restaurant.
He said: ‘I rang their reception manager and she said that was a fraudulent email.
‘I was quite shocked to see so many expenses [on the credit card] not of a business nature – Costa, Starbucks, bakeries, Boots and other shops.’
The former PA is accused of helping herself to collectors’ items, including a Harry Potter Wizard Collection worth £2,231.76.
Dr Murray said: ‘I firmly believe she has stolen a substantial amount of money and a substantial amount of Harry Potter merchandise which was to be given to sick and dying children.’
He added: ‘She has denied it throughout the whole disciplinary process which led to her dismissal and continues to deny it.’
Miss Rowling married Dr Murray, her second husband, in 2001.
The Edinburgh-based author, who has an estimated fortune of £ 650million, is seeking nearly £ 24,000 in damages. Asked why Miss Rowling is pursuing the action for a comparatively small amount, her husband told the court: ‘There is a matter of principle here.’
The civil case continues later this month.