A crooked gymnastics club treasurer has been ordered to pay back more than £30,000 she embezzled.
The non-profit Pegasus Gymnastics Club in Newport suffered financial strain because Mhairi Ovenstone made thousands of pounds of transfers to her own bank accounts to fund a gambling problem.
Dundee Sheriff Court previously heard how Ovenstone was trusted with sole access to the club accounts and disguised payments to herself under references such as “commission” and “A Star Leotards”.
The 48-year-old – a volunteer and treasurer between 2010 and 2020 – had drained the finances to such an extent the club was unable to pay for hall hires and emergency loans were sought.
Ovenstone was spared a prison sentence after previously pleading guilty to embezzling £30,176.51 between January 1 2017 and February 11 2020.
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael ordered her to pay back the exact sum as a compensation order.
She was placed on supervision for 18 months and ordered to perform 150 hours of unpaid work.
Transfers to gambling sites
Prosecutor Lynne Mannion said previously Ovenstone was the sole treasurer and signatory of the club’s bank account, in her name and the only person with access to the account.
“Between January and December 2017, various transfers totalling £9,200 were transferred to her personal bank account.
“These were illegitimate.
“They had various references including ‘commission’, ‘A Star Leotards’ and ‘volunteers Christmas’, therefore appearing to be club-related.”
Transfers were made to online gambling sites including Virgin Games.
Ovenstone’s bank account was overdrawn at various times.
In 2018, a club member messaged Ovenstone to say halls hire had not been paid, believing there were sufficient funds to cover the cost.
It was revealed unpaid lets totalled £4,000, to which Ovenstone said: “I’ll sort it.”
Grant funding or a loan was suggested as possible solutions, to which Ovenstone said: “Yeah but I’m a signatory and I have a s*** credit rating.”
Ovenstone later informed committee members coaches had not been paid and said some club members had not been paying fees.
The transfers continued through 2019 and into early 2020.
Financial statements confirmed the club was “in a poorer financial position than it should have been.”
Ovenstone, of Crosshill Terrace in Wormit, resigned in 2020 saying she had been ill and had suffered a mental breakdown in May of that year.
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