Sentence Postponed Again for Bingo Fraudster

by Hollie Sanders

This controversial case has been lingering on for some time now and it looks as though it will be lingering for quite a bit longer. It is the case of forty one year old, Sandra Ann Preston from Driffield. She is the poor dear who stole money from her employer to fund her online bingo playing.

Apparently they still have not been able to sentence her as they still have not established precisely how much money she took. I must say that I have some sympathy with her, there is nothing like not knowing what is going to happen to you!

It appears that Sandra took more than ₤60,000 from her employer, Eling Ltd, between August and October in 2007, which is about ₤20,000 per month; she was working there and managing the petrol station. However at the last court hearing held in April, they still hadn’t determined precisely how much she had taken and this is still the case.

Sandra is disputing that she took as much as the prosecution is accusing her of, the say it is ₤62,722.99 and she says that it was more like ₤20,000 to maybe ₤60,000. So at the last hearing the prosecution needed more time to go through the company accounts. This obviously hasn’t happened and bingo mad Sandra has to wait another six weeks for sentencing while they again “go through” the company accounts again.

Mr. Simon Bourne – Arton QC, the court Recorder said that he was reluctant to sentence Sandra based on the present evidence. The documents and accounts of Eling Ltd must be investigated fully as the severity of her sentence would be based upon how much she had taken. She is out on unconditional bail, and I wonder if she is still playing online bingo?