A great-grandmother with “gambling difficulties” has avoided prison time after receiving a two-year suspended sentence for stealing £115,000 from a charity.
Pamela Bent, who served as treasurer for the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project (Sharp) near Hunstanton in Norfolk, took the funds between June 2020 and January 2022. During sentencing at Norwich Magistrates’ Court, Recorder Ruth Brander described Bent’s gambling as a “misguided attempt” to repay her debts.
A charity director expressed the team’s shock and disappointment, stating they had trusted Bent, whose actions had “completely torn to shreds” their organization. Prosecutors revealed that Bent, residing in King’s Lynn, had a “gambling addiction” and even contacted Norfolk police to admit she had “borrowed” money from the charity to cover her mortgage.
As a trustee at Sharp, which oversees some of the largest independent archaeological projects in Britain, Bent admitted to four charges, including fraud by abuse of position and falsifying documents. She had repaid about half of the stolen amount before the fraud was uncovered, leaving £61,000 still owed.
Defense barrister Philip Farr noted that Bent’s husband lost his job, leading her to financial distress and ultimately gambling. “This wasn’t an offense committed out of greed, but rather desperation,” he argued.
Recorder Brander acknowledged Bent’s “dishonest abuse” of her position and the significant breach of trust involved. However, she credited Bent for seeking help for her gambling addiction and took her poor health into consideration when deciding against a custodial sentence.
The recorder remarked that Bent’s gambling was a “misguided attempt to deal with the situation you found yourself in,” and noted that she had been estranged from some of her children since the incident.
Dr. Eleanor Blakelock, excavation director at Sharp, highlighted the substantial impact of Bent’s actions on the charity, explaining that the lack of funds had forced them to delay numerous projects. “The trust we had in her has been completely torn to shreds,” she said.
As part of her sentence, Bent has been ordered to sell her home to repay the remaining amount owed to the charity.