Ex-mayor stole cash to fund gambling addiction

A former mayor of Britain’s oldest city was told he had brought disgrace on the public office he held as he was sentenced for pocketing cash from ice-cream takings during a gala to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Andrew Williams outside Leeds Crown CourtAndrew Williams outside Leeds Crown Court
Andrew Williams outside Leeds Crown Court

Andrew Williams, who held the civic post in Ripon, was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work to the community he cheated after a jury found him guilty of fraud.

Williams, of Pine View, Locker Lane, Ripon, had denied one offence of fraud, but the jury refused to accept his claims that he never received the cash at all. He was also given to a 12-month community order when he was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

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Judge Guy Kearl, QC, said: “This is not about people who occupy public positions fiddling expenses. It is about stealing money donated by a trader on the day of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee from your own council’s funds.”

He added: “What you did was unforgivable. Particularly given that you had chance after chance either to hand the money in or pay it back. You did nothing initially and then attempted to lie your way out of it - first to the police and then to the jury.

“You brought disgrace to the position you occupied. People who take up such positions are responsible for upholding the good name and reputation of their office. You have eroded public confidence in the role of mayor of Ripon.”

Rebecca Young, prosecuting, told the court that investigation of his Williams’s bank accounts, between May 2012 and March 2013, showed that he had lost over £31,000 on gambling and had borrowed over £14,000 from loan companies.

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She added: “The clear indication being that he had attempted to keep the money in order to fund his gambling debt.”

The trial heard Williams, 43, had a gambling habit when he took £220 in takings from an ice-cream van during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012. The prosecution said Williams, who is the chief executive of a divorce law firm, depended on loans from payday lenders to tide him over while serving as the mayor of Ripon.

He had put on a suit and his gold chain of office to hand out prizes on the evening of the Jubilee festivities in the North Yorkshire city. In return for selling ice creams at the event, John Taylor, of Harrogate-based C&M Ices, had struck a deal with the council to hand over between 20 and 25 per cent of the day’s takings.

After the event, Mr Taylor handed £220 in a money bag to Williams, who kept the cash instead of handing it Ripon Council. The offence came to light when the council’s Jubilee accounting committee noticed the money was missing.

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Alisdair Campbell, mitigating, said his client did not agree with the prosecution’s figures. Mr Campbell described the offence as “opportunistic” and revealed Williams had sought help for his gambling problem.

The court heard Williams had been working as a credit controller for an asbestos removal company, but would no longer be able to continue as a result of his conviction.

Mr Campbell said Williams had not sought re-election on North Yorkshire Council or Harrogate Borough Council. He confirmed Williams was still serving as a Ripon councillor, but only to save the authority spending money on a by-election.