GP practice manager jailed after stalking accountant and stealing £150,000 from surgery

A man has been jailed for stalking after he sent menacing letters to an accountant – because he found her LinkedIn posts ‘condescending’.

Christian Jennings, 63, developed a bizarre obsession with Jeri Williams, who has 92,000 followers on the networking site, while on bail for fraud.

A court heard he was arrested in 2023 after stealing £150,000 of NHS money while working as a manager at a GP surgery in south-east London.

Jennings, of Stock, Essex, then started sending anonymous letters to Ms Williams, telling her she was ‘marked’ and threatening her dog with harm.

When he was interviewed by police the defendant said he targeted the victim because her story of ‘glamour and glory’ had ‘struck a nerve’ – and he found her LinkedIn posts ‘condescending’.

He was sentenced to two years and four months in prison on 7 May after admitting fraud by abuse of position and stalking.

Woolwich Crown Court was told Jennings raised false invoices and diverted genuine payments into his bank account while working at Camberwell Green Surgery in south-east London.

It was said he carried out the fraud over a six-year period, after reaching the limits on his credit card accounts and amid large child maintenance payments.

He was rumbled when, after he left the surgery in 2019, the new practice manager noticed suspicious payments and instructed a financial audit which revealed he had stolen £151,841, prosecutor Michaela Onuchukwu said. Jennings was arrested in 2023 and released on bail.

It was then, between January and August 2025, he sent six anonymous letters Ms Williams’, containing detailed information about Ms Williams’ business and family.

In one letter he called her a ‘total tramp’, while in another he included a picture of a dartboard and wrote ‘you are marked, darling’.

In a later letter he included a photo of her puppy and wrote ‘be extra careful when out with your little pup, anything could happen in that situation’.

Police were informed and identified Jennings as a suspect, the court heard. Ms Williams did not recognise his name, but when she checked her LinkedIn profile she saw messages and comments from him dating back to 2020.

In interview, Jennings told officers that her story of ‘glamour and glory’ had ‘struck a nerve’ and that he began sending the letters as he found her posts ‘condescending’.

In a statement, Ms Williams detailed how the ‘taunting’ letters had impacted her personally and financially. She said she lived in constant fear and worried for the safety of her family. The menacing letters even led her to make the expensive decision to relocate her business.

She said: ‘I no longer go on dog walks alone and have to be accompanied by my husband as I’m terrified. Jennings’ actions have caused me to fundamentally change how I operate my business and personal life.’

Edward Fenner, defending, said his client was extremely remorseful for both offences. He has already made a £32,000 repayment to the surgery and intends to release equity from property to repay the rest.

Mr Fenner said: ‘He was paying a large amount of maintenance for two children, he was commuting a long distance for work and had maxed out his credit cards. With that difficulty in mind, he turned to fraud and it became easy to do so.’

Judge Philip Shorrock noted that Jennings had previous convictions for similar offending which dated back 20 years.

The judge said Jennings had been in a considerable position of trust as he managed the practice’s finances. Regarding the stalking offence, Judge Shorrock said it must have been ‘very distressing’ for Ms Williams.

Judge Shorrock sentenced Jennings to two years and four months in prison. He also ordered Jennings to repay the remaining £120,000 in the next 12 months.