Veterans charity manager defrauds £68k to fund gambling addiction

A finance manager for a veterans’ sailing charity has been sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing over £68,000 to fund her gambling and drug addictions.

Lyndsey Howell was working at the Hornet Services Sailing Club in Gosport when her life “fell apart” in 2022 following her divorce. She got into gambling, drinking and drugs, and in order to stay out of debt, she defrauded the charity out of £68,377.84.

The mother of two has been given a 12-month suspended prison sentence, required to complete 10 rehabilitation days and 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay the prosecution’s costs of £85. Evidence was presented showing she has taken steps to rehabilitate, including stopping gambling and drinking.

‘Breach of trust’

Catherine Flatt, one of the prosecutors, said: “Howell was employed by Hornet Sailing Club as were members of her family, she had been employed by them for nine and a half years.

“Her manager noticed she had been paid two days early, Howell claimed it was an error but it led him to investigate further. He discovered a series of transactions, some were cash refunds to members, some had names of suppliers on them but were paid to Howell.

“The impact of the fraud on the club has been not just financial but because she was a valued member of staff it had an emotional impact.”

Club member Commodore Rear Admiral Richard Stokes said they charity was in “disbelief” on learning of Howell’s crimes, saying: “Trust is at the heart of the military ethos, she was trusted to manage cash and bank transfers. The investigation has caused some anxiety particularly for our older members.”

Lure of betting ads

Last year, a father who stole over £1 million to fund his gambling addiction shared his experiences with the BBC to encourage others to seek help.

Andy May explained that after gambling away the deposit for his family’s first house, he didn’t place another bet for seven years. But a ‘free’ bet advert during the 2014 FIFA World Cup enticed him to start again.

After serving two years in prison for using his company credit card to bet £1.3 million, the father of two is now volunteering with GambleAware to “speak out with the hope of trying to persuade others to act differently”.

‘No meaningful restrictions’

GambleAware has warned the government that Great Britain is “falling behind” other European countries in tackling betting ads.

A report commissioned by the charity, concluded that although Britain has the “most evidence of the negative effects of gambling marketing”, it remains a “significant outlier” in failing to introduce wider restrictions.

Dr Raffaello Rossi, one of the report’s authors, explained: “Across Europe, bans on gambling marketing are increasingly the norm, seen as necessary to protect the public. Great Britain, however, is becoming an outlier with almost no meaningful restrictions.”

Also see:

Gambling apps

From 50p bet to £250k in gambling losses

Gambling companies hit by statutory levy and cap on online slots

Betting companies ‘out of control’ as youth problem gambling doubles

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