An ex-Royal Navy serviceman who conned a charity set up to help injured British soldiers out of £50,000 to feed his gambling addiction has been spared jail.

Gambling addict Andrew Gallie, 38, from Gillingham, falsified invoices and paid money into his own bank account while working at The Not Forgotten Association.

The charity helps support disabled former servicemen and servicewomen with activities and days out.

Gallie pocketed £46,000 through 59 fake invoices, and wrote himself a further cheque for £1,600 on the day he was caught in June this year which he spent on a roulette machine in a betting shop.

He served in the Royal Navy between 1998 and 2011 and started working for the charity in October 2016, and carried out his fraud between January and July this year.

At a previous hearing he pleaded guilty to one count of fraud of by abuse of position.

Southwark Crown Court heard he had a previous conviction for fraud while working at a Cornish care home and was given a two-year conditional discharge for which he admitted breaching.

At his sentencing hearing yesterday, he was sentenced to two years, suspended for two years.

"I have just let (my daughter) down massively, as well as the charity, I have absolutely failed her" - Gallie

The court heard his fraud came to light when discrepancies in payments made by the charity were noticed by his financial manager on June 14.

Gallie was told to fix the issue and that an audit would take place into his previous activity.

On June 19 he went into work, unlocked his work desk and left the office.

Prosecutor Karl Volz said: "There was an email received by The Not Forgotten Association from the defendant two hours later at 11.30am, in which he candidly admitted he had been committing fraud since January 2017 and had taken some £35,000 to £40,000.

"He said this had been used for his gambling addiction."

The court heard he surrendered to a police station where he told officers he just wanted to "plead guilty" to his crime.

Gallie, who was unrepresented for the sentencing, was asked by the judge to give some explanation for his offending.

Speaking from the dock, and almost breaking into tears as he addressed the court, he said: "All in all I have committed fraud."

He told the court 18 months ago his teenage daughter came to live with him and there would be issues about her care if he was jailed.

The defendant said: "I have just let her down massively, as well as the charity, I have absolutely failed her."

He said he thought he had beaten his gambling issue, but said: "I still had the gambling bug, I have had it all my life."

"An aggravating feature is as an ex-serviceman you knew the impact of this charity's work" - Judge Recorder Edward Connell, to Gallie

He told the court he had written a long apology on social media admitting what he had done and said: "Until I did that it was never going to go away. I Just want rid of it. I just want it to go away."

In sentencing Judge Recorder Edward Connell said: "You say this had been your dream job because you had been in the navy, but you were tempted when dealing with the petty cash."

Referring to his previous conviction in Cornwall, the judge said: "That was a warning shot across your bow that your gambling problem had got out of control and you had to get help."

He added: "An aggravating feature is as an ex-serviceman you knew the impact of this charity's work."

Gallie was given a 30 day rehabilitation activities requirement and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

He was also given a further two year conditional discharge for the breach for his previous offence.