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North Yorkshire Police accountant admits £44k theft | North Yorkshire Police accountant admits £44k theft |
(32 minutes later) | |
A police accountant has admitted stealing more than £44,000 from the Police Sports Fund UK to fund his gambling habit. | A police accountant has admitted stealing more than £44,000 from the Police Sports Fund UK to fund his gambling habit. |
Andrew Smart, 35, a senior accounting administrator at North Yorkshire Police, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by employee on Tuesday. | Andrew Smart, 35, a senior accounting administrator at North Yorkshire Police, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by employee on Tuesday. |
Teesside Crown Court heard he stole the money while acting as treasurer of the fund. | Teesside Crown Court heard he stole the money while acting as treasurer of the fund. |
Smart, of Stockton-on-Tees, was given at 12-month suspended prison sentence. | Smart, of Stockton-on-Tees, was given at 12-month suspended prison sentence. |
The court heard that between July 2016 and August 2017 he wrote himself 67 cheques to the value of £44,082. | The court heard that between July 2016 and August 2017 he wrote himself 67 cheques to the value of £44,082. |
The police fund helps organise sporting activities for more than 300,000 members across the country. | The police fund helps organise sporting activities for more than 300,000 members across the country. |
The North Yorkshire branch has about 500 members who each pay a monthly subscription fee. | |
Branch chairman Richard Flint said: "We lost a significant amount of our savings as a result of this crime, although some of that has been paid back. | |
"Since then we have changed our financial procedures so nothing like this can happen again." | |
Thomas Neofytou, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "Smart committed a fundamental breach of the trust placed in him as a police employee. | |
"He stole a substantial sum of money from the police sports fund in order to sustain his gambling habit. | "He stole a substantial sum of money from the police sports fund in order to sustain his gambling habit. |
"The sentence he has received today underlines the fact that no-one is above the law." | "The sentence he has received today underlines the fact that no-one is above the law." |
Smart's 12-month jail sentence has been suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work. | Smart's 12-month jail sentence has been suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work. |
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. | Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. |
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