Ex-Tory campaign chief and his wife sentenced over election bets

The Conservatives' former director of campaigning and his wife have received suspended prison sentences after they admitted to cheating at gambling by placing bets on the date of the 2024 general election.

Anthony Lee used "inside information" emerging from a private meeting called by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to bet on the general election date months before it took place, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Lee and his wife Laura stood to win more than £23,000 had their cheating not been uncovered, the court heard.

Lee was sentenced to 10 months and two weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, while his wife was sentenced to four months and two weeks' imprisonment, suspended for a year.

Amy Hind, a former Tory party employee who was working as an NHS business support manager, was also sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for a year, after previously pleading guilty to cheating on the date of the election.

Judge Tony Baumgartner, sentencing the three of them, said their conduct "risked undermining" the confidence the public has in the Conservative Party "as an institution", "undermining trust in the democratic process" and the "integrity of the gambling system".

The trio were among several people charged with betting offences by the Gambling Commission.

The trials of other defendants will take place next year and in 2028.

Former Conservative MP Craig Williams, who was Sunak's closest parliamentary aide at the time, pleaded guilty in June and will be sentenced at a later date.

Sunak's decision to call a general election for July 2024 was a surprise to many, including several Conservative MPs, who were expecting an autumn date.

The court heard that Sunak held a private Downing Street meeting on 10 March of that year to discuss possible dates.

Neither Lee nor his wife attended the meeting, but the couple began betting online on the election being held in July or between July and September, the court heard.

Prosecutor Zoe Johnson said: "Although not at Number 10, the overwhelming inference is that Anthony Lee was receiving inside information as the meeting went on and was acting upon it."

She added: "Together they were using it to make a profit for themselves."

Lee placed or tried to place 71 bets during the period, while his wife placed eight and attempted a ninth, the court heard.

Baumgartner described Anthony Lee as a "central figure" in the preparation of the general election, who sat at a group of desks within Tory HQ known as the "God Pod".

Representing Lee, barrister Richard Pratt said his client did not concretely know the working date of the election, saying it "still represented a gamble from his point of view".

The barrister told the court: "It was always possible the prime minister could change his mind."

Pratt said there "wasn't any direct manipulation" by the defendant.

Laura Lee worked for the Tories as their "head of international" and had been selected as the party candidate for Bristol North West for the election.

Baumgartner said she had no involvement in the election planning and her access to information "came predominantly" from her husband.

The court heard Hind's husband Anthony worked as a deputy digital director for the Conservatives but did not place any bets himself.

Baumgartner said Hind's husband "was party to emails relating to the forthcoming general election and was one potential source of your inside information".

The judge later said "someone else who worked within the heart of CCHQ" could have given her the "highly confidential" information.

The court heard Hind placed four bets and made three further unsuccessful attempts to place bets. The unsuccessful attempts were for £767, £700 and £750.

The judge described Hind's bets as a "clear departure from your previous betting history", noting: "Before the present offending, your largest stake had been £10.50, and only seven of your 3,399 recorded selections involved a stake of that amount."

Neither of the defendants have previous convictions and they are all of good previous character, the court heard.

Baumgartner described them all as having expressed remorse for their actions.

The trio are now subject to a 12-month prohibited activity requirement, banning them from accessing or using online gambling websites or applications.

Anthony Lee was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay more than £6,600 in compensation to a betting company, while Laura Lee must carry out 40 hours of unpaid work and pay £4,265.

Hind was ordered to complete 50 hours of unpaid work.

Katharine Diamond, General Counsel of regulators the Gambling Commission, reacted to the sentencing of the trio by saying "justice has been served".

She described the case as "a first of its kind" and said it demonstrated the commission's "commitment to protecting the integrity of betting markets".