Man Who Stole £45,000 From Grandmother to Gamble Sentenced

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

A British man that stole £45,000 from his grandmother in order to gamble has been sentenced to a year of jail by the Dungannon Crown Court.

David Elliott of Derrychara Park was given the sentence after he pleaded guilty to stealing the huge sum of money in order to fund his addiction. He was tasked with overlooking his grandmother's affairs as she aged, due in large part to his close relationship with her. He eventually began pilfering her savings in order to gamble over an extended period of time before the crime was discovered.


Having Elliott chosen as the controller of the finances was an interesting proposition by his family, as he has previous convictions for fraud and theft, both of which were known about. The judge acknowledged this, saying that the defendant would have benefited from someone watching over him considering his past.

Elliott's grandmother died in 2017, and her estate would have left money to him, his sister, and two brothers. The theft has obviously created a rift in the family, which the judge noted during the sentencing when he said, "This was a serious matter by anyone's stretch of the imagination, which unfortunately has had an almost Dickensian effect on his brothers and sister."

"Their legacy has been spent on his gambling addiction."

Those who think they may have a gambling issue are urged to seek help. We have a page full of resources to help identify and seek help should you need it, which can be found here.

About the author

Kingston Li // Asia Correspondent
Kingston Li
Kingston is a big fan of Baccarat and Texas Hold'em Poker and has tested his skills in tournaments around Asia and the world. He covers the latest gambling news from Asia for Casino Listings. In his spare time, Kingston enjoys hiking, video gaming, and playing disc golf.
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bgsharpe
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14 February 2019 - 7:10pm
#1

Wow...sometimes it's tough to believe the stories we could read here.

Sorry of being so hush but that family should of be compound of absolute idiots to left the previously convicted for frauds guy taking care of their inheritance even if they didn't knew he's also a gambling addict. Just ridiculous.

auCL-Ed
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15 February 2019 - 12:54am
#2

Agreed. It's a prime example of letting a fox into the hen house.

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idEljuno
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15 February 2019 - 4:11am
#3

I always limit my passion in gambling because I fear losing control at someday and addiction is a serious problem that is heavy enough to be controlled in any case,

bgsharpe
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15 February 2019 - 4:34pm
#4
sharpe wrote:

Wow...sometimes it's tough to believe the stories we could read here.

Sorry of being so hush but that family should of be compound of absolute idiots to left the previously convicted for frauds guy taking care of their inheritance even if they didn't knew he's also a gambling addict. Just ridiculous.

Just for the record I've meant harsh... 😂 ...stupid me!