Internet Gambling: ...a 'very worrying' social trend...

...the case showed a ‘very worrying’ social trend for online gambling...

Gambling Addict Steals from Employer to Fund Habit
Written by Mark Bennett
Wednesday, 18 April 2012

3retweetAn accountant that stole thousands from her employer to fund a gambling habit has been sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work. Maria Parsonage a mother of two was losing around £30 per day through internet gambling.

The 36 year old, who was trusted to pay herself an agreed wage by the employment agency, helped herself to extra cash bonuses to help settle her debts. Maria admitted to five accounts of fraud of £4,350 and was given 200 hours of unpaid work.

The magistrates in Stockport ruled that she did not have to pay the amount back due to poor financial position. Parsonage from Stockport is married with two children aged 5 and 17. She had not told her husband about the addiction until after she was arrested. The offences occurred between August and December last year and the court was told how her gambling habits went back to 2007. She used high street loans to fund her online gambling addiction initially.

She is now attending Gamblers Anonymous and her defence, Howard Bernstein, added the case showed a ‘very worrying’ social trend for online gambling. He said: "The internet has made it much easier to gamble. "If you can’t sleep in the middle of the night you can turn on your computer and lose a fortune at the click of a button. "This is an offence because of an addiction. If she can beat the addiction she won’t trouble the courts again."

Keith Williams the chairman of the bench commented: "We have taken account of the information you have given us about your means.

"We have decided in view of that information not to make a compensation order."

The means test completed by Parsonage claimed family’s current expenditure was greater than their earnings.

Vital People company director Jason Fox, the victim of the frauds, claimed the decision not to repay the money would send out the wrong message.: "What really annoys me is the message being sent out is ‘don’t worry about stealing, you get away with it’. But I didn’t want her to go to jail, I don’t think it would have helped her, especially if she has a family.

"We had a great relationship, she was my most trusted employee apart from my wife, Jenny, and a lovely girl. She just got herself into a mess."