A 26 year old Finance Assistant has been sentenced to three years in prison after she plead guilty to stealing £508,000 from her company in order to gamble.
Charlotte Darwen was given the stiff sentence after she stole the funds from a motor claims company, causing the firm to experience hardship that has resulted in layoffs to other staff members.
During her crime spree, Darwen made 352 fraudulent payments to herself, which she then used to gamble and to lavish gifts on herself. During the time of the fraudulent deposits, she had racked up £508,120 in stolen money.
That money was not ever repaid, as she spent nearly £420,000 on gambling. Additional activities funded by her crimes included attending concerts, plastic surgery, car payments, attending celebrity events, going on holiday, and putting down money on a house.
Addressing the court, a Finance Director at the company in which Darwen worked said: "Darwen was someone I trusted and she abused her position. The total loss of money was a testament to how devious she has been."
When the time for sentencing came down Manchester Judge Maurice Green said: "You got involved in a spiral of gambling, stealing money then using it and getting into more debt. Both you and this company have suffered as a result."
"What you did has had an almost devastating effect on this company, members of the company, staff - people who trusted you."