A committee member has admitted stealing more than £13,000 from the coffers of a Cumbrian music festival that aims to raise cash for charities.
Matthew Turnbull, 28, admitted one count of theft when he appeared at Carlisle magistrates’ court this morning.
During a brief hearing, Turnbull pleaded guilty to stealing £13,380.40 belonging to Aspatria Music Festival committee between June 23 and September 24 last year.
Rachel Dixon, prosecuting, told magistrates Turnbull was a festival committee member, adding: “The defendant has taken just under £13,500 and bank transferred this into his PayPal account.”
They also heard he was a man without any previous convictions.
Turnbull’s case was committed by magistrates to Carlisle Crown Court, where he is due to be sentenced by a judge on September 14.
A probation service pre-sentence report was ordered, and Turnbull, of St Mungo’s Park, Aspatria, was granted unconditional bail until that date.
Originally known as Sealy Spyatstock, the live music festival is a three-day, 1,500 capacity event held at Bower Park, the ground of Aspatria Rugby Club.
It was established in 2013 in aid of congenital diaphragmatic hernia charity CDH UK and has raised thousands of pounds for charity.
