Socially Distanced Bingo Leads To Court Appearance

Socially distanced bingo events set up by Steven Massey during lockdown were supposed to benefit mental health charity SAMH, instead, the greedy council worker decided to help himself to the cash and hoped nobody would notice!

The Glasgow council worker happened on an idea to help break the lockdown boredom in an attempt to raise funds for charity, only he had other ideas with what to do with the £6,400 in donations. The 39 year old conned the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) out of more than six grand when his socially distanced street bingo events started to rake in the cash.

To add insult to injury, Massey, environmental operative, decided to blame the theft of the cash on his auntie! Proceeds from bingo events were said to have been left in a tin which he gave to his mother’s sister to donate to charity, but he claims he never heard from her after giving her the tin in September of 2020.

“It Wasn’t Me!”

SAMH provided all the items Massey needed to run his bingo events between January and October of 2020. Massey told the court in his evidence: “We had families selling books for me. People stayed in their garden and some people brought their cars and sat in their cars. It was just a normal game of bingo and people won prizes,” claiming money received had been spent on tangible goods such as pillows and duvets, slow cookers etc.

Scott McQuire, defending, asked where the money went. Massey replied: “My aunt (Caroline Weir), I met up with her for a chat and gave her money to give to the charity. The charity building was closed on Sundays and I work Monday to Friday and I didn't have time to go to the bank or the charity. I started contacting my family and friends to see if they had seen her. No one has seen her and I contacted my brothers in Leeds to see if she went back down there and no one seen her."

Prosecutor Gail Campbell asked: “You can't get in touch with her and you told the police and the charity you gave all this money to a person who you were close to who has disappeared off the face of the earth and you don't report her as a missing person, were you not concerned?”

Not admitting to stealing the money, the bingo organiser simply answered with “no,” even when Miss Campbell put it to him that his story was complete fabrication.

In convicting him, Sheriff Allan McKay told Massey: “I don't believe you and I find you guilty of the charge.” Sentencing was deferred pending background reports until March.

Source: “Glasgow Council Worker Stole £6k Charity Bingo Cash Then Tried To Blame His 'Auntie'”, glasgowlive.co.uk, February 7, 2023.