Family Forgives Gambling Addict Who Stole Nearly £300k

Tracy King, an online gambling addict, who stole money from her family, was allowed to walk free after her partner Gavin Ling forgave her.

Tracy King, 39, has transferred £250,000 from her boyfriend’s account after she managed to guess his access password. She transferred money and proceeded to gamble it all away. The amount was clearly not enough and Tracy soon needed more money. This led to her stealing another £49,000 from Ron Smith, her 88 year-old uncle and spent it all on online gambling sites.

King managed to access Gavin’s online Halifax account by guessing his password. Despite the fact that none of the money she stole was recovered, Tracy King will avoid serving time in jail.

Her partner Gavin Ling and her uncle Ron Smith demonstrated that love and family are more important than money and forgave Tracy.

Gavin told the court that Tracy means everything to him and that having her home with the family means more than anything else in the world.

Instead of leaving her at the mercy of the court, Tracy’s forgiving partner has criticized online gambling sites. The realization of Tracy's gambling problems convinced him that all gambling sites should be banned.

Judge Anthony Goldstaub said that he respects the decision of Gavin Ling and understands that he forgave Tracy even though she stole a large sum of money. In his opinion, relationship that Gavin and uncle Ron have with the defendant was something much more valuable than money.

Tracy King has admitted to two counts of fraud by false representation and she started crying when she was handed an 18-month suspended jail sentence.

Tracy King’s case is quite unusual and surprising because many families don’t survive gambling problems. Many relationships and marriages ended because of the gambling addiction. On the other hand, numerous families struggle through difficulties and grow stronger together. Gambling addiction is not something that can’t be treated, but it does take time and patience to work through all the issues.

Tracy is certainly one lucky woman as her family didn't support the prosecution. Even though she stole the money her family realizes that she spent it all on gambling because she is suffering from an addiction.

The court ordered Tracy to complete 180 hours of community service but she doesn’t have to pay any compensation.

Photo: hrinsider.ca