Bingo boss admits stealing £30k from seaside pub
Jamie Searson stole £30,000 from The Lookout Public House, Skegness, over an 18-month period
- Published
A bingo manager who stole more than £30,000 from the Skegness venue where he worked has been given a suspended jail sentence.
Jamie Searson, 38, of Elizabeth Mews, Grimsby, admitted the single charge of theft after he pocketed cash from The Lookout Public House between 2022 and the summer of 2023.
At a hearing on Thursday, Lincoln Crown Court was told Searson sold bingo tickets to customers and declared the jackpot. However he would under record figures in an attempt to cover up the theft.
Searson was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He must also complete 175 hours of unpaid community work.
Prosecutor Clarkson Baptiste, said Searson was responsible for inputting information to a computer system and would take the balance home in an envelope.
"Unbeknown to Mr Searson, the computer system had its own internal system," Mr Baptiste said.
'Sustained dishonesty'
After the financial shortfall was discovered by his employers, Searson offered to pay back £15,000 to avoid police involvement.
However, Lincolnshire Police were alerted and he admitted to the claims.
Tom Heath, giving mitigation, told the court Searson had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
"He was creating spreadsheets but was then defeated by the computer system he had created," Mr Heath admitted.
Passing sentence Judge Philip Head told Searson: "You have got to the age of 35 without being in trouble, but what was going on below the water line was a sustained period of dishonesty.
"It went on until you were caught.
"What you didn't know was that your own machine was telling the truth in a different way."
A proceeds of crime hearing to determine if Searson can pay back any of the stolen money was adjourned until May 2026.
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