A gambling addict defrauded a community charity out of more than £20,000, leaving volunteers under suspicion. Hayley Smith, 44, was the only paid employee at CT Furniture in Blyth, Northumberland, which is run by Community Transport.
The charity provides accessible transport to vulnerable members of the community across the North East. Newcastle Crown Court heard how Smith carried out 25 transactions in which she sent money to her own bank accounts and then attempted to hide them, defrauding the company of £20,655 between April and November 2022.
Cash theft and investigation
Smith also stole three weeks' worth of cash, totalling £2,370, between October and November 2022. When contacted by her employers about the missing cash, she claimed to have banked it.
The fraud was identified in March 2023 and investigated by the financial manager. During the investigation, a number of other volunteers fell under suspicion. In a victim impact statement, the charity said volunteers spent time feeling under suspicion, which damaged morale. It was a tribute to them that they continued to work and volunteer.
Guilty plea and sentencing
Smith, who worked for CT Furniture between 2021 and when her offending was discovered, initially denied the offences. She failed to attend her trial on July 7, later pleading guilty to theft, fraud by position of trust, and failing to surrender. The court heard she had previous offences for dishonesty dating back to 2011.
Jamie Adams, defending, said: "She's completely ashamed and remorseful for what she's done." He said she has a longstanding addiction to gambling and had struggled to get help. The barrister said she now pays her bills and gives the rest of her money to her mother, who issues cash sums to her. He said: "This is a woman who does need help. She's been pleading for help for many years and hasn't managed to achieve it."
Mr Adams said Smith had been burying her head in the sand and got confused over the date of the trial, adding: "It wasn't that she was deliberately staying away." He said she looks after her two children and cares for her partner's 84-year-old mother, adding: "If she was to go to custody today then the damage to these children would be incalculable."
Judge's remarks
Judge Tim Gittins told Smith she was in a position of trust and the only paid employee, responsible for looking after funds. He said she engaged in around 25 transactions where she used her knowledge to hide what she had stolen, and also stole three weeks of cash totalling just over £2,300.
He said: "You were suffering from an addiction in relation to gambling, which had reared its head again. You buried your head in the sand when you realised the trouble you were in and were unable to repay the money. It was a substantial loss to the charity, a relatively small one. It's been equivalent to the whole team working six days each for the whole of November 2022. It means the loss to the business of an individual losing almost a year's helpful transport."
Smith was sentenced to 27 months in prison, suspended for three years. She was ordered to carry out 175 hours of unpaid work, 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and made subject to an electronically monitored curfew for 12 months. Judge Gittins said he was giving her an "exceptional opportunity", largely for the care of her children. If she fails to abide by the orders, she could face prison.
