EXCLUSIVE: Sacked HR boss ‘sent emails comparing colleague to Heinrich Himmler’ after she was sacked from her high-flying job – and said she wanted Vladimir Putin to ‘wipe out Hampstead Heath’

A human resources manager 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 has heard.

Helen Vulin is also accused of saying she wanted Vladimir Putin to “wipe out Hampstead Heath”, where a number of employees of Grant Thornton, the company she worked for until losing her job, live.

In a series of emails, the 34-year-old allegedly berated staff during a year-and-a-half campaign and wished a “painful death” on the man known only as “Dave”.

Vulin, of Hillingdon, west London, denies one count of sending threatening emails and one count of sending extremely offensive messages from January 2022 to June this year.

She worked as a human resources manager for the transaction advisory division and as a business consultant for two years and seven months before losing her job in 2019 and joining rival firm EY.

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 Alexander McQueen scarf – one of the Princess of Wales’ favorite brands – and carrying a £900 Chloe bag.

Aaron McCalister, prosecuting, said: “Essentially Miss Vulin was made redundant at Grant Thornton in 2019 as part of a business shake-up.

“From January 2022, each month, hundreds of threatening emails were sent in what was described by the employee relations manager as vile communications.

“The emails contained messages such as: ‘I’m going to fucking kill Dave.’ I want Dave to die a painful death in a concentration camp, tortured to death. Whoever is 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.

His lawyer said: “The factual context may not be accepted and these elements are disputed. » Vulin was elected for a jury trial and will appear at Isleworth Crown Court on October 19 for a plea and trial preparation hearing.

If found guilty, she faces a fine or a sentence of up to two years in prison.

Magistrate Jade Dalgreish granted her bail on the condition that she does not contact Grant Thornton employees.

She said: “You have pleaded not guilty to these two charges today and have chosen to have the trial at the crown court.

“You have heard that this will take place at Isleworth Crown Court. You must be present on the morning of October 19. You are on conditional release.

“You must not come into contact with anyone employed by Grant Thornton and that also means social media.”

Grant Thornton is the seventh largest accounting firm in the world, headquartered in Chicago.

It is considered one of the most prestigious companies in its field and manages accounts for more than 40,000 companies, with offices in London, India, Germany and Sweden.

The firm recently became one of the Big Four accounting firms, meaning it is moving closer to its biggest competitors: Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC.

Helen Vulin appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday carrying an Alexander McQueen scarf worth £265 and a £900 Chloé bag.

Heinrich Himmler oversaw Nazi Germany’s genocidal programs and administered death 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 manager with 15 years of experience and a graduate of the University of Manchester.

In her profile, she describes her role at Grant Thornton as “team leadership with (a) focus on profitable growth” and states that she was responsible for a client group comprising more than 1,000 employees , 50 partners and £100 million turnover.

After leaving the company, Vulin joined EY as a business consultant dealing with “large multinational clients” and worked there for about two and a half years.

Her profile adds that she is currently on a “career hiatus.”

She told her LinkedIn followers that she was looking to “share inspiring, uplifting or thought-provoking articles that might be of interest to my professional network.”

Before working at Grant Thornton, she worked in human resources for travel agency Thomas Cook and Reader’s Digest.