Corby football club in a 'much better' financial position after recovering from treasurer fraud
A Corby football club which was left on the brink of collapse after it was defrauded by its own treasurer says its finances are now ‘much better’.
Corby Hellenic Fisher Youth Football Club members had to dip into their own pockets to pay debts and the Burghley Drive outfit was granted a loan after Kirsty Hill’s wicked actions.
Over the course of 11 months the 43-year-old abused her position more than 100 times to help herself to almost £13,000, using false supplier names to cover her tracks.
On Wednesday (May 22) she was spared from prison after admitting fraud and sentenced to a community order with unpaid work.
After the conclusion of the case Corby Hellenic Fisher Youth Football Club released a statement on social media addressing the ‘shocking’ story.
The statement said: “We would like to reassure all our members and people in the local areas that Corby Hellenic Fisher YFC are not in any danger of going anywhere. Thanks to a number of volunteers within the club, the club as of last month is completely caught up with any outstanding debts and obligations.
"Thanks to its support of all the clubs members the club is now in a much stronger position financially.”
Northampton Crown Court heard Hill was in charge of finances when the club received a grant to make repairs to their clubhouse, which had fallen into disrepair, and in order to receive it they had to disclose some of their finances – but she was not keen to share them.
When challenged she was evasive and provided a spreadsheet that was false, before a bank statement revealed she had been paying money into her own account, with examples of fake suppliers. The court heard that one was marked as ‘ref fees’ but it took place during the Covid lockdown – when no matches were played.
In total about £12,800 was taken in 108 fraudulent transactions between August 2020 and July 2021, with amounts ranging up to £700. The court heard that more than £3,000 has been paid back by Hill’s mum.
The Corby Hellenic Fisher Youth Football Club statement added: “So we now answer the question of how to ensure this doesn’t happen again. As a club we have been forever changing and updating our processs and as such new processes are currently in place, with further secure process to be added this summer.
"There are now multiple people on the committee with access to the bank account as well as new live documents kept that are regularly shared between committee members as well. On top of this we will be ensuring that we provide all the information we can in our annual AGM meetings.
“The club is about to enter a big milestone as we celebrate our 50th birthday since being established in 1975. We thank everyone involved for their support and as a committee we look forward to taking this club to the next level and ensuring a very bright future for all of those taking the journey with us.”
Hill, of Lynmouth Place, said she had lost control when she stole the money. Her legal representative told a judge she was struggling to keep her head above water and made an appalling decision.
Hill will face Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings in September.