"Claire Walsh, 39, an assistant treasury manager, admitted to dishonestly abusing her position to illicitly obtain 208,521.65 for herself between June 8, 2019, and October 23, 2023. Isleworth Crown Court sentenced her to two years' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, on Friday. The court heard that Walsh exploited the club's season ticket exchange system, which allowed holders unable to attend home matches at Stamford Bridge to resell their tickets to other members and season ticket holders."
"Prosecutor Alex Alawode said Walsh, whose role involved administering manual refunds, was creating false refunds for tickets that had not been put onto the exchange site. He added: No tickets existed, she was simply creating a refund as if a ticket did exist on the sheet. The prosecutor said an investigation established an unusually high number of manual refunds on credit cards established to be in the name of and belonging to the defendant."
"Sentencing Walsh, Her Honour Judge Fiona Barrie told the defendant: This is plainly an abuse of trust. You held a responsible and trusted position in the finance department and were trusted to handle large sums of money, and you used that position to defraud your employer. The judge said it was significant that the offending was driven by a desire to help your family who were struggling."
Claire Walsh, an assistant treasury manager at Chelsea, admitted dishonestly abusing her position to obtain 208,521.65 between June 8, 2019, and October 23, 2023. Walsh exploited the club's season ticket exchange by creating false manual refunds for tickets that were not listed on the exchange. An investigation identified an unusually high number of manual refunds tied to credit cards in her name. Isleworth Crown Court imposed a two-year prison sentence suspended for 18 months. The judge described the conduct as an abuse of trust and noted mitigation including a desire to help a struggling family, no prior convictions and genuine remorse.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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