The state of Britain: School governor admits stealing £50,000 to fund gambling addiction
A FORMER school governor has admitted to stealing £50,000 from his employer to feed his gambling habit.
The former finance controller and school governor said: "The terrifying thing is that you can spend £100 every 20 seconds, £300 a minute and £18,000 an hour. It's almost unrestricted.
"I knew one man who'd been gambling from the age of 12, who every week, spent a whole week's wages in one hour."
The school governor has three children who didn't understand the amount of debt he was in
He added: "Personally I was like a hamster on a wheel thinking that a big win was just around the corner.
"In the 30 years I was gambling, latterly spending up to £30,000 a year on sites like jackpotjoy and Sky Vegas, I never had one big win."
He was jailed for fraud last year after pleading guilty to stealing over £50,000 - but his family were still in the dark about the financial trouble he'd landed them in.
David had kept his addiction and spiralling debts from his wife Denise, 63, son Adam, 23, and twins Ryan and Alex, 19.
David managed to remortgage his house without permission from his wife Denise
Even after he was jailed, they had no idea he had bankrupted the family and only found out through Mr Bradford's solicitor and newspaper reports.
Now out of prison on licence, he said: "I was living beyond my means and gambling like it was an Olympic sport.
"I was deceitful and I stole. It was like I had two sides to my personality. A bad side that encouraged me to keep gambling and a good side that felt guilty and worthless.
"I hate to use those words Jekyll and Hyde, because I never drank a green frothy drink, but I was like two different people."
David's family were only made aware of his debts when he was sent to prison
David served eight months of a two-year sentence in Altcourse Prison, Liverpool, and sought help for his problem there. He wasn't the only inmate to suffer but one of the few to seek help.
Trying to put the past behind him, he currently has a part time job and claims tax credits.
He added: "I'm dedicating my future to getting regulation to help others and prevent others from suffering like my family have."
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/607332/School-governor-stealing-50-000-fund-gambling-addiction
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