Wellingborough charity conman ordered to pay back just ONE POUND of £30k he swindled

A fraudster who ripped-off a Wellingborough charity to the tune of £30,000 has been told to pay back £1 of the money he took.

Adam Humphrey syphoned-off £31,863 from the Victoria Centre to fund his lavish lifestyle.

The 37-year-old splashed-out on electrics and holidays with his wife using money he had stolen from the community centre over an 18-month period.

But yesterday (Thursday, May 12) during a five minute hearing at Northampton Crown Court, Recorder Timothy Green ordered he should repay a token £1 because he is now broke and in prison.

If he doesn’t pay the money then Humphrey will be jailed for a single day on top of the 27-month sentence he received for his crimes.

Humphrey, who moved to the north east following his arrest, appeared before Northampton Crown Court in December 2021 to admit fraud by abuse of his position.

He had worked at the Victoria Centre since 2015, at first as a volunteer and then rising through the ranks to become manager with responsibility for finances and IT. He had a credit card for expenses and set up Paypal accounts linked to charity finances.

But when other workers noticed suspicious transactions, Humphrey’s web of deceit began to unravel.

An estimated 157 fraudulent transactions - between May 2018 and September 2019 - included paying for an iPad, tumble dryer, his own gas and electricity bills and holidays abroad with his wife and then his new partner.

He also used their cash to stay at a yacht hotel in London, for Eurostar tickets, a visit to Disneyland Paris, clothing, a Playstation, his own rent and personal food and petrol transactions.

Humphrey, who later moved to the north east, also made cash withdrawals using either the Paypal account he set up or the charity's credit card, including a direct transfer of £420 on September 29 just before he was suspended.

When he was interviewed by police he admitted taking money but said he believed it was between £15,000 and £20,000.

Yesterday’s Proceeds of Crime Act hearing heard that a lack of means has left Humphrey unable to pay back anymore than a token £1.