IT CROOK BLEW £1M COUNCIL CASH ON FOOTBALL BETTING
Conman sent public money to his own bank account
A COUNCIL IT expert was jailed yesterday for blowing £1million of public cash on football bets.
Mark Conway got away with the fraud for seven years before his bosses became suspicious. Only £7337
of the money has been recovered by Dundee City Council.
Jailing Conway for five years and four months, Judge Graeme Buchanan told him: “I accept it was your addi c tion to gambling that led to the commission of this crime.
“However, that is no excuse for what you did.’
Conway stole £1,065,085 from the council between August 2009 and May 2016.
The money was used for online gambling.
Prosecutor Rosemary Guinnane told the High Court in Glasgow that Conway was the council’s top financial IT expert and had “unrestricted access” to their computer systems.
He exploited a loophole to send cash to his own bank accounts while pretending it was going to suppliers.
Guinnane said: “During 2009, the accused had become indebted due to online gambling.
“During the period August 2009 to May 2016, the accused’s actions went undetected by the council’s audit procedures.”
In May last year, an employee became aware of a £ 7337 payment to a building firm and thought it was unusual that it was made to a Nationwide building society account.
The same month, Conway created another invoice, this time using his Santander bank account. Bosses were alerted and Conway, of Brechin, Angus, was suspended on full pay while auditors investigated.
At a hearing this month, he admitted fraud.
Yesterday, Conway’s lawyer Gavin Anderson said: “Initially, he tried to pay off his gambling debts by legitimate means.
“His aim was always to pay back the money with his gambling winnings, but that never happened. He would occasionally win a few thousand pounds, but then gambled it away.”
Anderson said the online gambling firms referred to Conway as a VIP customer.
He added: “They did much to encourage him to bet. He was betting on football matches.”
The court heard Conway has signed over most of his pension and lump sum – amounting to £258,966 – to the council. His home, which has £49,000 equity, will be sold and the cash passed to the authority.