A FRAUDSTER who organised charity events and then withheld more than £8,000 of proceeds has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Gary Ferris, from Ashford, organised race nights at clubs and pubs claiming he was raising money for Hopes & Dreams, a charity which provides special holidays and trips for young people with serious illnesses.

The 38-year-old arranged for events to be held at 15 venues including in Dartford and elsewhere around Kent, Essex, Surrey and Norfolk.

He first contacted Hopes & Dreams in July 2007, asking if he could hold a race night to raise funds for them.

The charity said while it would welcome any donations, it could not endorse his events.

Yet Ferris went on to hold the events several times a week under the name Funtime Racetime.

At the end of each event, the amount raised for Hopes & Dreams was announced, and the venue was promised a certificate confirming the total at a later date.

Publicans who had offered their premises for race nights contacted the charity in February last year, concerned they had not received their certificates.

Hopes & Dreams then contacted police, who discovered Ferris had made £8,180 without handing a penny over to the charity.

After Ferris was arrested in August last year, he admitted he had an online gambling addiction amounting to tens of thousands of pounds, which had resulted in the loss of his house and car.

Ferris pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced on Friday at Canterbury Crown Court.

He was given a six-month sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid community work Detective Inspector Mark Fairhurst, from Kent police, said: “While many people raise funds for good causes legitimately, Gary Ferris used money he had raised for charity to fund his gambling habits.

“He took advantage of people wanting to donate money to help ill children and in doing so undermined the reputation of the Hopes & Dreams charity.

“His actions have caused distress to those who offered their premises in good faith and attended the events.

“Kent police advises publicans and people hosting events to check with the charity to make sure it is genuine.”