Addicted gambler jailed

Monday 2nd February 2004, 12:00AM GMT.

A DEBT collector who stole nearly £60,000 from his employers to feed a gambling addiction was jailed for 18 months by the Royal Court on Friday.

David Jonathan Harris (34) admitted embezzling the funds from Collect Services Ltd, owned by Viberts, over two years from January 2000.He was spending up to £800 of his employer’s cash a week in betting shops to fuel his lunch and teatime habit, which left him owing thousands for other loans he took to cover his personal debts.The company’s accounts were described as ‘lacking proper control’ and when auditors were eventually called in to investigate holes in the accounts, Harris turned himself in at the police station in May 2002 and admitted he was responsible.

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