Former South Wales Police officer to repay £25k stolen cash

Justin Lott stole from a fund raised for a colleague with a brain tumour

A former police officer who stole cash from his own force's sports clubs has been ordered to repay £25,000.

Justin Lott, 40, stole £30,000 from South Wales Police athletics and triathlon clubs he ran with his wife, including money raised for a colleague who died from cancer.

He admitted three theft charges last year and was jailed for 16 months.

At Cardiff Crown Court earlier Lott, from Bridgend, was ordered to pay back £25,000 within a year.

The thefts occurred while he was acting as secretary at the South Wales Police Central Divisional Athletic Club.

Lott must pay £16,490.03 of compensation to the South Wales Police Triathlon Club, with the remaining £9,275.63 going to the athletics club.

Justin Lott was jailed for 16 months last year and has now been told to repay £25,000

The court heard investigators had sifted through internet and email records to find out the full extent of the thefts between February 2012 and April 2016.

Jonathan Rees, defending Lott when he was sentenced, said he had built up personal debts of £326,000 of debts and had suffered from depression for several years.

He said Lott had intended to refund the cash he stole.

Systematic, repeated dishonesty

Jailing Lott in July 2018, Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: "For a former police officer prison will be tough, but you have no one to blame but yourself.

"This was systematic, repeated dishonesty of the worst kind."

After his conviction, his police chief said Lott had "exploited the trust" of other officers by stealing cash raised in the memory of a dead colleague.

Ch Supt Dorian Lloyd said Lott resigned from his role before he could be sacked.