A grandmother has been told she must sell her house to pay back money she stole while working as the treasurer of a charity. 

Pamela Bent, 65, defrauded the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project (Sharp) out of more than £116,000 over a four year period. 

Norwich Crown Court was told she began fraudulently diverting money into her own bank accounts in 2019 to fund a gambling addiction.

She was also desperate to keep up £900 monthly mortgage payments after her husband suffered a stroke and was unable to work. 

READ MORE: Pamela Bent admits to stealing £100,000 from Sedgeford dig

Stephen Spence, prosecuting, said efforts to cover her tracks had included creating fake bank statements and forging the signatures of her daughter and son-in-law who had no knowledge of her offences.

She eventually contacted police to confess in August 2023 after fearing new trustees appointed by the Hunstanton-based charity, which runs Norfolk's biggest archaeological dig, would discover money was missing.  

Activities at the archaeological dig at Sedgeford had to be scaled back due to the fraudActivities at the archaeological dig at Sedgeford had to be scaled back due to the fraud (Image: Chris Bishop)

Bent, of James Close, King's Lynn, previously admitted fraud by abuse of position and three counts of false accounting.

Recorder Ruth Brander sentenced her to two years suspended for two years after hearing that her health issues, including Multiple sclerosis (MS) which has left her in a wheelchair, would make jail especially difficult.

She told her: “This was a significant abuse of trust that took place over a lengthy period. There was also an element of sophistication in that you falsified bank accounts and submissions to the Charity Commission.” 

READ MORE: Pamela Bent in court for 'stealing' £100,000 from SHARP dig

The court was told she has already paid back half the money, but Recorder Brander ordered she must sell her house within the next 12 months to fully repay the £61,626 still outstanding.

Philip Farr, mitigating, said: “She was paying back the money she took before her offences came to light which is an indication not of greed but of desperation.”

She added: “As her debts continued to rise, so did her reliance on gambling as a way of trying to make money.

 “She makes no attempt to minimise her actions or pass the buck.”

The charity, whose work is funded by donations, has been carrying out digs at Sedgeford each summer for more than 25 years.

This year's excavations had to be scaled back from the usual six weeks to four because of financial problems.