2:03pm Friday 14th September 2007
By Michael Black
A cleaning supervisor who arranged for her nephew to get into a Keighley bingo hall and steal cash from the gaming machines has been jailed for a year.
Judge Christopher Prince told 43-year-old Carolyn Richardson, of Coronation Way, Keighley, that she had breached the trust placed in her by arranging the attack on the Gala Bingo premises in April.
Bradford Crown Court heard today that Richardson, who worked for a contract cleaning firm, told a female colleague about the planned attack and arranged for her to let in her nephew James Richardson.
In fact 21-year-old Richardson arrived with 19-year-old David Bland early on that Saturday morning and after being allowed into the bingo hall premises they used a hammer to smash open nine gaming machines.
Prosecutor Jayne Beckett said the duo stole cash totalling £5,738 from the machines and made their way back to the Braithwaite estate in a taxi.
Later that same morning James Richardson was involved in buying a Renault Clio for cash and that afternoon he used £1 coins to buy an £800 gold chain from a jewellers in Leeds.
It emerged that James Richardson was subject to a electronically-monitored curfew at the time of offence and records revealed that he had been out between 5.48am and 7.10am.
All three pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to steal.
James Richardson also admitted an assault charge relating to an attack on a man in the Gardener's Arms pub in Keighley in February 2006.
Richardson, of Bankfield Drive, Keighley, was jailed for a total of 20 months by Judge Prince.
Bland, of Braithwaite Avenue, Keighley, was made the subject of a community order with a 12-month supervision requirement.
Jailing her for a year, Judge Prince told Carolyn Richardson that she had set up a very frightening scenario for her colleague.
'Although this was not a robbery you arranged an attack on your employer's premises for money to taken away,'' he said.
'That is a serious aggravating feature of a breach of trust case such as this.'' The court heard she had gambling problems, but had kept out of trouble for the last 13 years.
Her barrister Giles Bridge described the offence as ill-thought out and poorly planned.
'There had been similar offences at Gala Bingo premises in Leeds and Bradford,'' said Mr Bridge.
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