An HR boss at one of the world’s biggest accounting firms compared a former colleague to Heinrich Himmler after she was fired from her high-flying job, a court heard.
Helen Vulin is also accused of saying she wanted Vladimir Putin to ‘wipe out Hampstead Heath’, home to a number of employees of Grant Thornton, the company she worked for until she lost her job.
In a series of emails, the 34-year-old is said to have abused staff during a year-and-a-half campaign and wished someone known only as ‘Dave’ a ‘painful death’.
Vulin, from Hillingdon, west London, denies one count of sending threatening emails and one count of sending grossly offensive messages between January 2022 and June this year.
She spent two years and seven months as head of HR for the transaction advisory department and as a business consultant before losing her job in 2019 and joining rival firm EY.
In a series of emails, the 34-year-old is said to have abused staff during a year-and-a-half campaign and wished someone known only as ‘Dave’ a ‘painful death’. Pictured: Helen arriving at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 21
General view of Grant Thornton’s Finsbury Square in London, where Helen Vulin worked
She appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday wearing a £265 scarf from Alexander McQueen – one of the Princess of Wales’s favorite labels – and a £900 Chloe bag.
Aaron McCalister, prosecuting, said: “Ms Vulin was made redundant from Grant Thornton in 2019 as part of a corporate reorganization.
‘From January 2022, hundreds of emails containing threats were sent every month in what was described by the head of employee relations as despicable communications.
‘The emails contained messages such as: ‘I’m going to kill Dave.’ I want Dave to die a painful death in a concentration camp where he is essentially tortured to death. Everyone on his side is on Heinrich Himmler’s side.’
‘Other messages sent include: “I hope Putin wipes out Hampstead Heath. I’m going to get a gun license in a few months, Texas understands.”
Vulin denies sending these emails.
Her lawyer said: ‘The factual background may not be accepted and these matters are disputed.’ Vulin was elected for a jury trial and will appear at Isleworth Crown Court on October 19 for a plea and pre-trial hearing.
If convicted, she could face a fine or prison term of up to two years.
Magistrate Jade Dalgreish granted her bail on the condition she does not contact Grant Thornton employees.
She said: “You have today pleaded not guilty to these two charges and have chosen to proceed to trial at the Crown Court.
‘You’ve heard this will be at Isleworth Crown Court. You will be present on October 19 in the morning. You are on conditional bail.
‘You are not allowed to contact anyone who works at Grant Thornton and this includes social media.’
Grant Thornton is the world’s seventh largest accounting firm headquartered in Chicago.
It is considered one of the most prestigious companies in its field and manages the accounts of more than 40,000 companies, with offices in London, India, Germany and Sweden.
The firm recently became a ‘big four lite’ accounting firm, meaning it is closing in on its biggest competitors – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC.
Helen Vulin appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday wearing a £265 Alexander McQueen scarf and a Chloe bag worth £900
Heinrich Himmler oversaw Nazi Germany’s genocide programs and ran extermination camps during World War II
A general view of Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, Wednesday January 25, 2023
According to LinkedIn, Vulin is an HR executive with 15 years of experience who qualified from the University of Manchester.
In her profile she describes her role at Grant Thornton as ‘team leadership with (a) focus on profitable growth’ and says she is responsible for a client base of more than 1,000 employees, 50 partners and a turnover of £100 million.
After leaving the company, Vulin joined EY as a business consultant handling “large, multinational clients” and worked there for about two and a half years.
Her profile states that she is currently on a ‘career break’.
She told her LinkedIn followers that she wants to share “inspirational, uplifting, or thought-provoking pieces that may be of interest to my business network.”
Before joining Grant Thornton, she worked in HR for travel agency Thomas Cook and Reader’s Digest.