An online gambler from Halifax, who was sentenced to 28 months in jail for stealing more than £430,000 from his ill grandmother, will now pay back only £21,000. After the 70-year-old woman died in January, her three children were left with no inheritance and are now receiving a compensation of £7,000 each.
Pensioner Sandra Gledhill’s life savings of £434,231 were blown for online gambling by her grandson, 30-year-old Darren Glendhill. While she was suffering from vascular dementia and living in a care home in Halifax, the gambling addict made approximately 350 bank transfers from her bank account to his own. During that time, from June 2014 through November 2017, the man managed to clear her account, taking every last penny and making one final transfer of only £1.20.
When the elderly woman died in January, however, her relatives realized their inheritance was gone. Her grandson, who worked as a manager for Sainsbury’s, admitted he stole all the money, almost half a million pounds, and spent it on gambling sites. He managed to do that very easily as he was the person who set up the online banking account for his grandmother while she still lived at her home.
Prosecutor Phillip Adams explained that by the time the woman moved to the care home, Darren Glendhill had already stolen £43,500 from her balance. The rest of the money was taken in different transactions, ranging from £1.20 to over £10,000 at a time, Adams said. The offence was revealed after Sandra Gledhill’s death when the care home found out that she was £40,000 in arrears due to the institution fees.
Her grandson, of Hebble Gardens, Halifax, pleaded guilty to the theft charges before the Bradford Crown Court and was jailed for 28 months.
Online Gambling Addiction Led to the Crime
When Glendhill was arrested, he admitted he had spent almost all money on online gambling. The man was apparently gambling on the Internet, although no details have been disclosed – whether he wagered on sports, played casino games or bingo. Whatever he did, however, he was addicted to gambling, which is a not only potentially harmful hobby but also requires a big budget.
Barrister Abigail Langford, for Gledhill, told the court that the “catalyst” for his offending was gambling. He started gambling online when he was working away from his home in Halifax and staying in hotels. Now, he was ashamed and “consumed with guilt”, she explained, adding that he would never be able to return the money.
During the Tuesday hearing, it became clear that Glendhill’s only asset was the £21,000 equity in his home. It is now being repossessed by the bank and the Prosecutor asks that the money should be paid to the three beneficiaries within three months. According to Mr Adams, each of Sandra Gledhill’s children should be paid £7,000, because she would split the money equally between them if she were alive.
- Author
Daniel Williams
