A financial manager at a sailing club for Royal Navy veterans stole nearly £70,000 to fund a gambling addiction she developed after a divorce, a court heard.
Members of the historic Hornet club in Gosport, of which Princess Anne is a patron, were reportedly left in “disbelief” after “valued” Lyndsey Howell, 39, defrauded the non-profit organisation.
Howell set up fake transfers to suppliers and withdrew money under the pretence of giving members cash refunds over a 22-month period, Portsmouth Crown Court heard. She stole a total of £68,377.84 between January 2022 and October 2023.
In addition to funding her gambling addiction, Howell used the money to fund her alcohol and cocaine habits.
Her betrayal had an “emotional impact” on the organisation as she had been part of the club since childhood because family members work there.
Howell’s father works as the marina manager at the Hornet club in Gosport and her brother was also once employed there – Solent News & Photo Agency
Her father, Stewart Peters, is the marina manager at the club, and her brother, Robert Peters, had also been employed by it in the past.
Catherine Flatt, prosecuting, read a victim impact statement from the club’s Commodore Rear Admiral Richard Stokes.
“Hornet Sailing Club is a not-for-profit members club established in 1964 to provide sailing for veteran members of the Armed Forces. For many members their only source of income is their military pension, the club aims to keep the number of paid staff down,” he said.
Rear-Adml Stokes, who was seated in the public gallery, added that the club had managed to withstand the financial loss, but that the ordeal had caused “anxiety” for older club members.
Oliver Hirsch, mitigating, explained that Howell’s life had “fallen apart” after her divorce and she turned to drinking, drugs and gambling.
He said: “Howell grew up with the sailing club, she worked there for years without issue. Her life began to fall apart after her divorce, she became a heavy user of alcohol, cocaine and gambling.
“It is clear that money was taken when her account was near zero, it was a stopgap solution.
“She has taken steps to deal with that, she has stopped gambling and she is sober.”
The Princess Royal became the club’s royal patron in 2014 – British Army
Howell, of Gosport, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position. She was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for a year, required to complete 10 rehabilitation days and 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay the prosecution’s costs of £85.
Sentencing Howell, Judge William Ashworth said her crime was “severe” but that it was “out of character” for the financial services manager.
The Hornet Sailing Club was founded in 1964 in Gosport, Hampshire. The Princess Royal became the club’s royal patron in 2014 to mark its 50th anniversary.
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