Charity worker stole £18,000 to fuel bingo habit by skimming from firefighters’ fund

A CHARITY manager for firefighters stole more than £18,000 she had helped raise – to fund a bingo habit.

Natasha Mason turned to gambling as she skimmed money she had raised for the Fire Fighters Charity.

Bingo was “escapism” that offered her a “haven” from her marriage, a court heard. But the 46-year-old was caught red-handed after discrepancies were noticed between the cash raised and the amount that was banked.

She came clean about stealing at 23 events between April 2018 and March 2020 – totalling £18,677.

After admitting theft by an employee at Salisbury magistrates’ court, Wilts, earlier this year, Mason wept in the city’s crown court as she was handed a suspended sentence.

Joshua Bowker, prosecuting, told the court Mason had worked for the charity since June 2010, and was a regional fundraising team manager in Wiltshire.

“The charity provides support for for those in the fire service from the time they join until beyond retirement,” he said. “She would attend events at various fire stations. In November 2020, the charity became aware of a discrepancy in what was being raised at events and what was being banked.

“They wrote to the defendant [asking] about where just under £3,700 was.”

Mr Bowker told the court she admitted stealing the money and said how “disgusted” she was with herself for the theft and repaid it immediately.

He added: “The charity remained concerned and invited her to disclose any other incidents.”

However, the court heard she said she had actually over-paid her repayment and the charity gave her back about £700.

But after further investigation in 2021, she was interviewed by police about 64 different charity events, which were mainly car washes.

“At 23 of the events she had stolen money totalling £18,677.82 and admitted further events but couldn’t quantify [the amount],” he added.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the charity said it had led to its workers being “tarred with the same brush”, concerns about whistleblowing and volunteers feeling their honesty was being questioned.

‘She stole a total of £18,677.82 and admitted further events but couldn’t quantify the amount’