On Wednesday, the Aberystwyth magistrates heard a sorted tale of dependence, embezzlement and execrable desperation. A young man from Boncath, employed as a bartender at the Gwbert Hotel, had become mesmerized by the oft compelling nature of internet gambling sites. As a result, he spent several months stealing more than £6,000 from the till to satiate his online gambling addiction.
Rhys William Beard of Rhoshill, in Boncath, Pembrokeshire, looked on solemnly as his solicitor explained to magistrates that he had experienced a substantial win while gambling over the internet some time back. Since then, what started as an exhilarating pastime, quickly spiraled out of control. His online gambling addiction saw him facilitating upwards of 50 transactions per day to internet gaming websites.
But the 23 year old barman was no longer experiencing wins, which led him to commit multiple thefts to feed his addiction. According to testimony, between the dates of October 31, 2014 and February 1, 2015, Beard stole £6,156.37 from his employers at the Gwbert Hotel in Cardigan.
The accused wasn’t simply swiping cash from the register, though. Prosecutor Ellie Morgan told the court that, as part of his duties at the Flat Rock and Gwbert Hotel, Mr. Beard was responsible for closing out the till at the end of the night. That left him alone in the bar, where he had access to the PDQ card payment machine.
Miss Morgan explained to the magistrates that Mr. Beard was calculating receipts and closing out the till at the end of the night, as his responsibilities entailed. However, after doing so, he would use the PDQ card reader to process refunds onto his own card.
Mr. Beard’s employer, hotel director Wells Jones, didn’t realize what was going on until he received a phone call from Barclays Bank. Mr. Wells was informed that a large number of refunds had been requested to the same bank card; a bank card belonging to Rhys Beard.
It was nothing more than standard security protocol for the bank, but unveiled a three-month reign of financial treachery due to an online gambling addiction that could land the 23 year old bartender behind prison bars.
Prosecutors are seeking a harsh penalty for Mr. Beard. Miss Morgan said, “He was in a position of a high degree of trust, and was also responsible at the end of the day when he was the only person left on site.”
Defence solicitor Stephen Welch countered that claim. He told the magistrate that Rhys Beard was not in a managerial position, nor regarded above any other employees, therefore should not be held in a high level of trust.
“He had benefited from a large gambling win before the theft and became addicted,” said Mr. Welch. He told the magistrates that his client wasn’t particularly savvy or conniving in his thievery, either. “It’s a matter where he was bound to be caught. The transactions were to his card.”
Rhys Beard pled guilty to the charges of theft, and has already begun reimbursing the hotel through a payment plan, with his parents designated guarantors. He willfully admitted to his online gambling addiction and has taken steps to enter himself in self-exclusion programs with internet gaming websites.
Despite his uncontested admission of guilt and steps to amend his debt and online gambling addiction, the magistrate warned Mr. Beard that he had crossed the custody threshold, and that he could face prison time for his crime. Sentencing has not yet been decided in the case.