BORED POSTWOMAN'S £19K LOTTERY FRAUD

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http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/759 ... tery-fraud



A BORED Post Office assistant stole a £1 Lottery Scratch card – and kept on taking them until she had scratched away £19,000, a court heard yesterday.

Ellen Davies, 50, became hooked on trying to win with the cards during quiet times manning her counter.

The court heard she took up to 10 a day without paying for them – but her biggest win was just £50.

Her crime was only uncovered when the suburban Post Office received congratulations from National Lottery operator Camelot for a big rise in its orders for Scratchcards.

Postmaster Nicholas Evans was puzzled that they had soared by 90 per cent in a year to £54,000.

When he studied CCTV footage he watched Davies stealing Scratchcards from the dispenser.

She confessed when quizzed by police officers, saying: “I’ve been stupid. It was all because of boredom in the shop.”

Prosecutor David Blake said: “Her offending was a gross breach of trust.

“She concealed the thefts, and the occasional wins she had, by not properly registering payments from customers for other goods.”

Swansea Crown Court heard that the counter assistant began stealing the Scratchcards from a Post Office in Penlan early last year.

Davies, who had no previous convictions, confessed to the thefts over a 14-month period.

Mr Blake added: “The biggest win she had had, she said, was £50. On some days she had not taken any cards – but on other days she had taken as many as 10.”

Kevin Riordan, defending, said that although the Post Office had lost £19,000, the “actual dishonest gain” to the defendant was very small.

Davies, of Penlan, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and false accounting. She was given an eight-month suspended jail sentence and ordered to carry out 180 hours of community work.

Judge Thomas said: “The loss of £19,000 was a substantial blow to an employer struggling to make a living in the current economic climate.”