How trusted teacher stole thousands in free school meals fraud
AN ASSISTANT headteacher stole thousands of pounds in a free school meals scam to fund his gambling addiction.
Daniel Reynolds, 36, pocketed the cash while being paid extra to run the government’s holiday activities and Food programme at his primary school.
The married father of one was given money by norfolk County Council after the scheme was rolled out following a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.
But Reynolds got free food from organisations wanting to help pupils in the deprived area, meaning he was able to pocket money while still providing meals for children in his care.
More cash was syphoned into his account from better-off parents who paid for their children to join the holiday activity programme at West Earlham Junior school, norwich.
Reynolds, who was sacked from his job in October 2022, had been warned he faced jail but was shown mercy by Judge antony Bate. he received a tenmonth jail sentence suspended for 18 months. Judge Bate told the defendant: ‘You saw a gap in the accounting procedure which you dishonestly exploited to fund your chronic gambling addiction.’
Reynolds was originally suspected of taking £16,000 but the figure was reduced to £8,520.66 as some money was used to legitimately pay people working for the holiday scheme.
Prosecutor Chris Youell told norwich Crown Court that Reynolds started running the programme during the Covid pandemic in the summer of 2021.
The fraud began when he ran further schemes in Christmas 2021 and the Easter break in 2022.
Council auditors began checking records after discovering ‘anomalies’ and Reynolds tried to cover his tracks with bogus invoices and receipts.
Mr Youell said Reynolds was guilty of an ‘egregious breach of trust’ using tax-Upbeat: payers’ money as well as cash from a businessman who had become ‘unwittingly involved in enriching him’.
he added: ‘it appears that the driving force was difficulties he had got into because of gambling.’
David Tremain, defending, said his client, who has a degree in sports science and specialised in PE, had not stolen from the children as pupils were still able to take part in the holiday schemes and got fed.
Reynolds admitted three charges of fraud by false representation and creating false receipts and documentation in november.
a school source said at the time: ‘it was a total bolt from the blue. no one expected this. We all feel betrayed.’
Reynolds, who lives in norwich, was also ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and given a ten-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
he had been suffering from a gambling disorder for several years, Mr Tremain said, and had begun taking steps as far back in 2017 to join a scheme to exclude himself from bookmakers in norfolk and online.
Mr Tremain added his client was ‘regretful and remorseful’, particularly over the damage he had caused to the reputation of the school.
a norfolk County Council spokesman said: ‘We are pleased to see that justice has been done in this case.
‘This is down to the diligence of our finance and audit teams, who uncovered and investigated this fraud and reported the matter to the police.’
‘Chronic gambling addiction’