Former Peterborough Sports employee ordered to repay over £2000 stolen from club by pocketing cash from season ticket sales
A former employee of Peterborough Sports has been ordered to repay over £2,000 that was stolen from the club through fraudulent sales of season tickets.
Darren Hicks (46) of Aqua Drive, Hampton appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (January 28) for sentencing after pleading guilty to one count of theft and another of fraud by false representation.
Between May 26, 2024 and July 19, 2024, Hicks stole money a figure estimated at around £2,300 from the National League North football club, which is based at PIMS Park on Lincoln Road.
The court heard that Hicks was ‘under a lot pressure’ at the time of the offences and felt he was being pushed out of his role at the club. It also heard that Hicks felt he was entitled to take the money after asking a family member of a senior club staff member for a loan of roughly the same amount. He told probation services that he believed a verbal agreement was in place regarding the loan.
The fraud took the form of taking payment from fans for season tickets but then not adding the cash he was given to the club float, instead taking it for himself. Hicks confirmed that he sold multiple season tickets and sent texts to the club’s finance personnel telling them to mark the sales on the system but he then kept the cash, believing he was entitled to do so.
The court also heard that, unbeknown to the club at the time, Hicks was sleeping there at night at times during this period.
Four victims came forward and the club chosen to honour those season tickets despite not receiving payment for them.
Through a statement read out in court from the probation service, Hicks said that his actions were ‘naive’ and that he was ‘remorseful’ of them.
Hicks was handed a sentence of a 12-month community order requirement, with a requirement of a 12-month mental health treatment programme.
He was also ordered to repay the full £2,300 pounds to the club. An initial compensation order was put in place for repayments of £100 a month.
During sentencing, chair magistrate Dr David Wilkinson said: “This is a substantial amount of money that Peterborough Sports have lost and in the interest of justice, we are going to make a compensation order for the £2,300. This will still take over two years to pay off.”
Peterborough Sports have been approached for comment.