A vice-treasurer who wrote himself a $3300 blank cheque, which he deposited into his bank account then gambled away, was sentenced in Orange Local Court on Monday.
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Phillip William Richards, 72, of Margaret Street, was on a committee at Orange City Bowling Club when he wrote the cheque on August 4, 2015.
Three days later he started withdrawing funds and in January 2016 stepped down from the committee position he had held for two years, because he couldn’t produce documents explaining the withdrawal.
The club launched an investigation and contacted police who were presented with the cheque and Richards’ bank statement showing the deposit.
The damage to the social fabric of our society by gambling is enormous.
- Magistrate David Day
Solicitor Gerry Stapleton said the money was used to gamble on poker machines.
“He said, ‘I know I did the wrong thing trying to gamble my way out of a hole I put myself in,” Mr Stapleton said.
“He resigned in 2016 and hasn’t returned to the club since.”
Magistrate David Day sentenced Richards to imprisonment, which could be served in the community through an 18-month intensive corrections order, and he will be required to take part in gambling rehabilitation programs and not enter the club.
MAP: The club which Richards misappropriated funds from ...
“Mr Richards would have to be delusional to think that he can win back money from gambling machines because they are set up to make profits not to help Mr Richards with his lifestyle,” Mr Day said.
“The damage to the social fabric of our society by gambling is enormous.”
He was also ordered to pay $3300 to the club in compensation, of which he had already paid $960.
“His last offence was 33 years ago. He’s been crime free until recently,” Mr Stapleton said.
“His situation at the moment, he seems to think he has his gambling under control.
“It appears he evoked some empathy from police.”
Mr Stapleton described his client as a recluse with ongoing medical problems and said he has no family in Orange but did volunteer in here in the last 10 years until his medical conditions affected his ability to help.
However, Mr Day said from the age of 18 to the mid-1980s, Richards was jailed multiple times and given hard-labour for stealing and break and enters.
“Mr Richards I suspect has has a long term problem where he likes a little flutter on the machines to the point where he has been to jail,” he said.
“Had Orange City Bowling Club made investigations into his past I doubt he would have made it on to the committee.”
Mr Day said he took into account an early plea of guilty and would grant the 25 per cent discount and said without it he would have made the order for two years.
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