Sports editor jailed for defrauding paper €440,000

A FORMER sports editor of The People was jailed yesterday after defrauding his paper of more than €440,000.

Lee Horton used his position at The People to deceive owners Trinity Mirror for eight years, inventing 1,690 claims by contributors for sums between €180 and €460, knowing that only payments over €600 had to be referred to bosses.

He shuffled 12 different accounts for the non-existent stories, paying himself a total of €440,911.

Southwark Crown Court heard he spent the money on his daughter’s education, donated to her school, gave to a Down’s Syndrome charity and paid for morale-boosting outings for his colleagues, even taking them on a golfing holiday.

Horton, of Chelmsford, Essex, admitted false accounting and money laundering and was jailed for 15 months.

The court heard he had paid back nearly €360,000 and that the rest would be repaid when his house is sold.

David Levy, prosecuting, said Horton admitted when he was caught to being “greedy” and “ridiculously generous” with other people’s money.

Discussing the longevity of his offending with detectives, Horton said: “How dare they let me get away with it.”

Tara McCarthy, defending, said Horton, had not blown the cash on a lavish lifestyle. “He makes a stupid mistake,” she said. “And what does he do? He doesn’t buy a Ferrari.”

She added: “He has lost everything.”