Stag do organiser bets friends’ cash

11:10am Saturday 23rd August 2008

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HE was supposed to be organising a lads' stag weekend away for a group of his friends.

Trusted with thousands of pounds of their money, it was his role to book the flights and accommodation for a two-day party in Lithuania.

But Andrew Crout couldn't resist. He gambled the whole lot away - and then posed as a member of staff from the travel company to email other members of the group to say the trip had been cancelled.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Crout, of Kings Mead Avenue in Fareham, was paid £300 by 13 friends and £434 by another to cover travel and accommodation for the stag do.

Instead of booking the weekend away, the 30-year-old spent every last penny of the £4,334 on gambling.

Prosecutor Martyn Booth said: "A problem came to the attention of some members of the p a r t y because t h e y couldn' t cont a c t t h i s d e f e n - dant by email or mobile phone and had not heard anything about the arrangements.

"The defendant emailed them using a false email address saying he came from the travel company and there was a protracted chain of emails about why he had not refunded the money. The theft came to light when the group got hold of the real travel company who said there had never been any booking for this stag do."

T h e weekend in Lithuania never happened but the group travelled to France for the stag do instead.

Mr Booth said Crout's victims had further lost out because they had bought Litas, the currency in Lithuania, which had to be changed back into Sterling and then into Euros to spend in France.

Crout, a highway worker, was arrested and interviewed in February and admitted he had taken the money. In court he pleaded guilty to 14 counts of theft.

Anthony Bailey, representing Crout said: "He is genuinely remorseful. At the time he was suffering from acute depression and his relationship had come to an end."

Sentencing Crout, Judge Ian Pearson said: "These were mean-spirited offences exploiting friendship that was given to you by other members of the group. It was a breach of trust."

He was sentenced to a 26- week prison sentence suspended for two years, 150 hours of unpaid work and a two-year supervision order.

He was also ordered to repay the money he stole to each of the victims within six months.