'Selfish and manipulative' fraudster jailed for stealing from Norfolk rugby to fund gambling habit
A rugby official who stole nearly £180,000 from two organisations to fund his gambling addiction is facing more than three years in jail.
The court heard Trevor Lee's offence was discovered when the newly elected chair of the Norfolk Rugby Union Referees Society discovered that the organisation's bank balance was only 65p instead of over £24,000.
Former treasurer Lee, 56, of Elm Grove, Diss, appeared at Norwich Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud by abuse of position.
In total he had defrauded nearly £180,000 from two organisations, and was jailed for three years and four months.
The court heard Lee had duped the NRURS and his employer by merging the society’s funds with his personal accounts, writing false cheques to temporarily inflate the balance, and declaring false balances at AGMs and to the Financial Conduct Authority.
He also sold stock, owned by his employer Salire Ltd, and had fraudulent invoices paid into his personal account, rather than the business.
The company was told of his offending by the chair of the NRURS, as the business was a sponsor of the club. This sparked a full investigation into his activities.
When confronted by investigating officers, Lee admitted the first offence, saying he used the funds to finance his gambling addiction.
He had since made efforts to repay some of the money taken from NRURS, the court was told. Lee provided no comment in relation to offence involving Salire.
Det Con Natalie McCormack, the investigating officer of the NRURS fraud offence said: “Lee used his position of trust in both organisations for his own gain.
"His prolonged offending has deprived a Norfolk sporting community of valuable financial resources for years, resources that should have benefited the sport of rugby.
"His actions were selfish and manipulative and showed a complete disregard for his victims, many of whom considered him a friend.”
Det Supt Stuart Sansbury, investigating officer of the Salire fraud offence said: “While working as a Director for Salire Ltd, Lee had a responsibility to uphold the best interests and moral standards of a reputable trading company.
"Instead, he deceitfully mishandled company stock, and embezzled company money to helped fund his personal gambling addiction. The impact on Salire Ltd was profound, and it struggled enormously, putting the welfare and livelihood of its staff at great risk."