Woman Steals GBP 236,000 to Gamble

Kay Fearnley, 55, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after admitting to the theft of £236,000 from her former employer, UK based Brahm PR.

Fearnley, of Leeds, embezzled money over the course of six years. Her crime was not discovered until she was made redundant from the company.

Fearnley was providing her own banking details to clients for payment. Once the clients remitted payment, she removed any record of her banking details from the lists. This continued until her final day of working for the company. Fearnley was arrested once her bank statements had been reviewed and showed that she had received money from clients.

The majority of the cash had been spent on online gambling as well as credit card bills, loans and holidays. When she was arrested, Fearnley initially told the police that the money was payment for work her husband had done for the company.

Defending Fearnley, Graham Parkin, said: “She was shocked when the total sum was put to her in interview. She could not believe the total amount. As often happens, she took the first payment with a then addiction to gambling. She always believed she could win enough money to put the money back.”

Fearnley wasn’t living a glamorous lifestyle as she and her family lived in a former council property and owned a used car.

Judge Geoffrey Marson said: “Most of it has gone on gambling. Some of it went on holidays. Whatever happened to it, it was a gross breach of trust. It is a tragedy for you and for your family. I accept that you are remorseful and that you are unlikely to reoffend and you have no convictions. To go to custody for the first time will be difficult to bear.”

Gambling Law & Society News General Bingo News