Fraudster who ‘dishonestly abused’ her position to steal £115k from charity dodges jail

A Norfolk fraudster who ‘dishonestly abused’ her position to steal £115,000 from a charity has dodged jail, receiving a two year suspended sentence at Norwich Magistrates’ Court.

Pamela Bent, 65, had a “gambling addiction”, with her actions described as a “misguided attempt” to repay her debts.

The great grandmother, of King’s Lynn, was a treasurer of the charity Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project (Sharp), which undertakes the UK’s largest independent excavation and research work.

She informed Norfolk police that she had “borrowed” money from Sharp so that she could pay off her mortgage.

Bent had been charged with four offences, involving fraud by abuse of position and falsifying documents between June 2020 and January 2022.

She had already repaid almost half the “borrowed” amount, with £61,000 left to pay by the time her crimes had been revealed.

Defence lawyer Philip Farr said that, since the defendant’s husband lost his job, she could not afford the mortgage, which drove her to gamble.

He said: “This wasn’t an offence committed out of greed, rather desperation.”

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Recorder Ruth Brander said that Bent had “dishonestly abused” her position within the charity, asserting that the crime was an abuse of trust.

The defendant’s poor health, combined with her actions where she sought help for her gambling addiction, were cited as reasons why she avoided jail.

Delivering the verdict, the recorder mentioned that the fraudster’s children had shunned their mother as a result of the charges.

In addition to the suspended sentence, Pamela Bent has had to now sell her house to pay back the remainder of the stolen money.

Sharp excavation director Dr Eleanor Blakelock said Bent’s theft had left a “huge impact” on the organisation, commenting that it was “heartbreaking” when the team learned of their colleague’s theft.

She said: “The lack of funds means we have had to put off a huge number of projects that we would’ve liked to have done.”

Speaking on behalf of the team, she added: “The trust we did have in her has been completely torn to shreds.”

Blakelock said that the summer’s excavation work had been shortened to four weeks instead of six to save on money spent on toilet hire, generators and other archaeological equipment.