Leeds British Gas worker carried out £11,000 fraud to pay for holiday for his online gaming friends

Tony Clamp carried out the deception over a three-month period while working for the gas and electricity provider.

The 26-year-old diverted funds into his grandmother's customer account in order to get his hands on the cash.

Leeds Crown Court heard Clamp committed the offence when he was working for the company's customer resolution team.

His role included arranging compensation to be paid into customers' accounts if technical work needed to be carried out.

Robert Galley, prosecuting, said an investigation was launched after a manager noticed that refunds had been sent to accounts linked to Clamp's grandmother on multiple occasions.

Mr Galley said Clamp was identified as the only person with a password to the account and he was at work on each occasion refunds were sent to the account.

A total of nine refunds, totalling £7,287, were sent to the electricity account.

A further seven refunds, totalling £3,804 were sent to the gas account.

The offending took place between August and October last year.

Clamp was arrested and said in interview that the money had been used to pay for a holiday and that it was all gone.

Clamp, of Sunbeam Avenue, Beeston, Leeds, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.

Mark Foley, mitigating, said Clamp was part of an online gaming community.

He said Clamp had sent £4,500 abroad to one of his online friends who had "financial problems."

Clamp had also paid for a holiday to meet three of his friends for the first time.

Mr Foley said the defendant had been diagnosed with autism.

He added: "It is suggested that there may have been an abusive relationship involved.

"It is suggested that this is a young man who is being taken advantage of."

Clamp was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and complete a ten-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said: "It deserves a prison sentence but I am told in the pre-sentence report that, given the sort of person and personality you have, it is going to be very difficult for you in prison."