THE former secretary of a local football club has been jailed for "milking" club funds to pay for camping equipment and a stag do to Las Vegas.

Riki Peter James Hughes was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Salisbury Crown Court this afternoon for "pilfering" money from Tidworth Town Football Club during his time as team secretary.

The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of fraud to the value of £17,000 transferred out the club account into another account for bogus rent payments during the period from November 2011 to some time in 2013.

Some of the money was spent on equipment for a family camping holiday and a stag do to Las Vegas.

There was some discrepancy as to the exact amount of money that disappeared between the value of £13,000 and £27,000, but Judge Andrew Barnett said that he would not be concerned with "pounds, shillings and pence" and continued to sentence the defendant.

Sentencing the former Army Lance Corporal, who has completed two tours of Iraq, Judge Barnett called his behaviour a "disgraceful" abuse of power and breach of trust

He said: "You set up a bogus account in the name of the landlord and you have effectively syphoned off the money into an account of which you had use.

"This is a disgraceful thing to do.  The community have been deceived by someone they have trusted."

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