THE former manager of a popular recreation and sports centre near York is today serving a prison sentence after his thieving ways were uncovered.

Adrian Loveday, 49, took advantage of his boss’ absence on holiday to steal nearly £7,000 from the Copmanthorpe Recreation and Sports Centre, York Crown Court heard.

As well as taking £1,000 from the safe and pocketing the centre's takings, he took money that people had handed to him - believing it would be put in the centre’s accounts - having hired the centre for children’s parties and sports, clubs and other activities.

By the time the boss realised what was going on, there was so much missing money he had to use some of his own money to pay the centre’s VAT bill, said Marta Alnaes, prosecuting.

After he was sacked, Loveday apologised  to the boss and his partner by email claiming his fraud was part of a gambling addiction. 

In a personal statement, the boss said Loveday’s fraud had “tainted” the lives of him and his partner. It had adversely affected the business and its relationship with its customers which was very difficult to restore.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told Loveday: "What you did was a nasty little fraud."

It had caused rifts within the business, problems of trust and affected a possible sale of the business.

Then Loveday had tried to delay facing justice by pleading not guilty despite “overwhelming evidence” against him and not attending hearings including the day of his trial. 

“You played the system,” the judge told Loveday. “It is quite clear to me by your conduct since you were arrested you have done everything you can not to be held to account for this offending.”

He jailed Loveday for 12 months. Now of Bond Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Loveday pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and two offences of failure to attend York Crown Court.

Ms Alnaes said Loveday was responsible for tallying up the takings and banking them each day after the cash sheets had been checked; the staff rota and paying employees’ wages.

The boss set up an arrangement for the checking to be done by the centre’s bookkeeper when he went on holiday on January 9, 2020.

But the bookkeeper alerted him that Loveday wasn’t keeping to the arrangement and wasn’t banking money. The boss had difficulty contacting Loveday and when he finally succeeded, Loveday had “numerous excuses” about the missing money, including money that had gone from the safe.

The boss fired him and returned home on February 16, 2020, to discover that Loveday had made off with £6,920 that belonged to the business, said Ms Alnaes.

For Loveday, Victoria Smith-Swain said being remanded since August had been a shock to him. He had health problems that had required neurological hospital treatment in 2021, diabetes and high blood pressure and had had a stroke since being sent to custody.

Loveday wiped tears from his eyes as he was sent down.