Two gamblers in the UK have secured their stakes at the cost of unwitting victims in very different circumstances.
The first nefarious gambler is a carer from Todmorden, a small town in West Yorkshire. A court heard last week that Bianca Young stole more than £20,000 ($26,779) from an elderly stroke victim. The victim, a man in his 70s, was admitted to hospital in December 2022. Young saw her opportunity and began using his checkbook to pay money into her account for online gambling purposes.
has to complete 240 hours of unpaid community work as part of her suspended sentence
Police arrested 43-year-old Young in March 2023 after the man’s bank statements revealed the theft. She admitted offences of theft and possession of articles for use in fraud last Thursday, and her 12-month jail sentence was suspended for 18 months. She has to complete 240 hours of unpaid community work as part of her suspended sentence.
Meanwhile, a conman posing as a bathroom fitter managed to steal a comparable amount from his victims. Liam John Harbottle from Ripon, North Yorkshire, accepted thousands of pounds in advance payments from customers but never completed the work. He would avoid detection by changing the name of his company and using alias names for himself. Like Young, Harbottle used the payments for his gambling, racking up significant debts.
In March, Harbottle pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft. He received a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years in York Crown Court last week, and also must repay victims close to £20,000 and complete 180 hours of unpaid community work.
