Jailed: Solicitor's wife who stole £80,000 from husband's law firm to fund fruit machine addiction

A solicitor's wife who stole £80,000 from his law firm to fund her addiction to fruit machines has been jailed for 10 months.

Susanne Orton, 63, blew up to £500 a night playing slot machines at a bingo hall.

She was out five times a week and over two years spent £100,000 of the couple's own savings before helping herself to money from the solicitors' practice.

Mum-of-two Orton was employed as a conveyancing assistant at legal firm Harold G Walker, where her husband Kim was a senior partner.

A court heard she turned to gambling while suffering from stress due to the long hours of her job.

Mr Orton thought his wife went to bingo to help her relieve the stress and had no idea she was spending so much on slot machines.

She sank deeper and deeper into debt and started to "rob Peter to pay Paul". She repeatedly transferred clients' money into her own bank account to cover her tracks.

James Patrick, prosecuting, said from 2004 Orton began frittering away her and her husband's savings.

She blew £30,000 the couple had saved for a deposit on a buy-to-let property, their fourth such home.

The solicitor's office where Mr and Mrs Orton both worked

Mr Patrick said: "The £30,000 had been spent by Mrs Orton who had gambled it away on fruit machines.

"She moved £30,000 from a client account into their account and she kept moving money."  He said this behaviour continued until she was discovered and the final figure stolen was £79,655.

In 2006, while the couple were on holiday in Egypt, the firm noticed financial irregularities and launched an investigation.

Mr Patrick added: "When they returned, Mrs Orton became aware of the investigation and as a result set up a transfer of money to another account to repay £63,000." 

The couple were both arrested but Mr Orton was released without charge. He has since repaid all the money plus interest, but has still lost his job.

Susan Evans, defending, said Orton, from Bournemouth, Dorset, was a "pathologic gambler" who was "utterly appalled" by her behaviour.

She said the stress and long hours of her job led her to seek relief by gambling on fruit machines at Gala Bingo in the town.

She said: "Such was the stress that she turned to gambling and was out up to five nights a week spending up to £500 a night.

"She spent £100,000 of their own money and had a pathologic gambling disorder.

"Everything snowballed and she robbed Peter to pay Paul. Her real fear was that her husband would find out." 

Sentencing her to 10 months in prison, judge Christopher Harvey Clark said: "The offences involve so much money and took place over such a long period and involved such duplicity on your part that the court has no alternative but to pass a custodial sentence.

"This is a sad day for you and I'm sorry I've had to pass this sentence." 

At an earlier hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court, Orton admitted four counts of theft and four of false accounting.

In a statement, Bournemouth-based Harold G Walker said: "We dealt with the matter by taking swift action and would like to thank the authorities for their help in finally bringing this matter to a satisfactory conclusion."