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A former Chelsea employee has been spared jail after defrauding the Premier League club of more than £200,000.
Claire Walsh, 39, an assistant treasury manager, admitted to dishonestly abusing her position to illicitly obtain £208,521.65 for herself between June 8, 2019, and October 23, 2023.
Isleworth Crown Court sentenced her to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, on Friday.
The court heard that Walsh exploited the club’s season ticket exchange system, which allowed holders unable to attend home matches at Stamford Bridge to resell their tickets to other members and season ticket holders.
Prosecutor Alex Alawode said Walsh, whose role involved administering manual refunds, was “creating false refunds for tickets that had not been put onto the exchange site”.
He added: “No tickets existed, she was simply creating a refund as if a ticket did exist on the sheet.”
The prosecutor said an investigation established an “unusually high number of manual refunds on credit cards established to be in the name of and belonging to the defendant”.
Sentencing Walsh, Her Honour Judge Fiona Barrie told the defendant: “This is plainly an abuse of trust.
“You held a responsible and trusted position in the finance department and were trusted to handle large sums of money, and you used that position to defraud your employer.”
The judge said it was “significant” that the offending was “driven by a desire to help your family who were struggling”.
She added that Walsh had “strong personal mitigation” including no prior convictions and “genuine remorse”.
Wearing a black top and coat, Walsh cried as the suspended sentence was read out.
Mr Alawode said Walsh, who started working for Chelsea in 2007, told the club that “her mother was terminally ill and she had fallen into debt while trying to provide for her family” when confronted about the refunds.
Walsh was told “she could face a club disciplinary process or immediately resign, and she decided to do the latter”, the court heard.
Mitigating for Walsh, Joy Dykers said the defendant had told her “none” of the money was left and “it has all been spent”, adding that some went on “supporting her parents”.
Ms Dykers added: “A lot went on gifts and experiences for her family and friends, trips to the theatre and holidays.”
Walsh was also sentenced to up to 25 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement and 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.
No costs or compensation were sought by Chelsea Football Club.
Walsh had pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud by abuse of position at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in November.
