Tory employees sentenced for General Election insider bets

Three people who were representatives of the Conservative Party before the 2024 UK General Election have been sentenced after breaching betting rules.

Anthony Lee, Laura Lee and Amy Hind were handed suspended custodial sentences, probation, unpaid work obligations, and a 12-month prohibition from using online gambling applications after placing bets on the election itself.

The individuals had found out when the election would take place, and subsequently bet on that market.

Anthony Lee stood to win around £15,000 after placing over 60 bets which totalled £1,549. His wife, Laura, was set to profit to the tune of £5,000 from wagering £535 in eight separate bets.

Hind, meanwhile, placed or tried to place seven bets worth more than £2,300 and was set to win around £26,000.

The sentences were as follows: 

• Anthony Lee, the Conservative Party’s former Director of Campaigning: custodial sentence of 10 months and two weeks imprisonment (suspended for 12 months), 100 hours of unpaid work to be completed in the next 12 months.
• Laura Lee, ex-Head of International for the Conservative Party and a Conservative candidate at the 2024 General Election: custodial sentence of four months and two weeks imprisonment (suspended for 12 months), 40 hours of unpaid work to be completed in the next 12 months.
• Amy Hind, ex-Tory party employee who was working as an NHS business support manager: custodial sentence of six months imprisonment (suspended for 12 months), 50 hours of unpaid work to be completed in the next 12 months.

Katharine Diamond, General Counsel at the Gambling Commission, said: “I’d like to thank colleagues across the Gambling Commission, particularly in our intelligence, enforcement, counsel and legal teams, for their hard work in bringing this case to this point.

“This is a significant case and a first of its kind for the Commission, demonstrating our commitment to protecting the integrity of betting markets.

“Betting markets must be fair and must not be undermined by people using confidential information for their own benefit.”

2024 General Election fallout to continue

Anthony and Laura Lee will pay £1,000 each in prosecution costs. It is the first of many sentences set to be handed out to Conservative Party figures for cheating offences related to general election betting.

Craig Williams recently pleaded guilty and will be sentenced at a later date. Simon Chatfield, Paul Place, Iain Makepeace, James Ward, Thomas James, Russell George, Charlotte Lang, Jacob Willmer, Jeremy Hunt and Nick Mason have all also been charged and are to stand trial in September 2027 and January 2028.

Diamond continued: “These convictions demonstrate the importance of protecting the integrity of gambling markets and acting where there is evidence that individuals have sought to cheat.

“We will continue to investigate suspected criminal activity and use our powers to protect the integrity of gambling.”