Pamela Bent’s £115,000 theft leads Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project to review its systems

A charity which had more than £100,000 stolen by its own treasurer has reviewed its system to ensure “nothing like this can occur again”.

Earlier this month, 65-year-old Pamela Bent was sentenced for fraudulently taking around £115,000 from the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project (SHARP).

She narrowly avoided prison, with a 24-month jail term being suspended for two years, while she was ordered to pay £61,626.46 in compensation to the West Norfolk charity.

The court heard that Bent, who lives at James Close in Lynn, had a “gambling addiction” and told police she had “borrowed” the money from the charity to pay her mortgage.

Now, a spokeswoman for SHARP has said new regulations have been put in place to prevent anybody abusing their position again.

They described Bent’s sentencing as “the best possible outcome” as the stolen money will “eventually” be returned.

“Since the incident we have completely reviewed and improved our systems, to ensure nothing like this can occur again,” the spokeswoman said.

“We are very grateful for the support we have had both from the local police, and also the charity commission.”

Established in 1996, SHARP describes itself as one of the largest independent archaeological projects in Britain.

When the stolen money is returned, it will be used for the likes of site maintenance, the charity’s excavation season, and bursaries.

“Despite all the problems, last summer we had a really successful excavation season,” the spokeswoman added.

“We made some exciting new discoveries in the malting complex, as we excavate two of the five malting kilns on the site. The other trench we opened found the remains of a medieval track previously unknown, and also a possible prehistoric burial.

“We are also incredibly grateful to the volunteers and general public, particularly the local community, for their support and understanding during this difficult time.

“We are now keen to look forward to the future of SHARP. Over the last year we have been working on plans to make the excavations more sustainable and better for the environment.

“We are putting in a funding bid to purchase our own power, toilet and shower facilities on site, reducing costs and our reliance on hire, while also reducing our carbon footprint.”

SHARP is running a fundraising campaign to match fund for this sustainability project, which can be found at this link.

Its bookings are also open for the 2025 season, and more activities are planned and will be added to its website in the next month.

Committee members have also set the date for their public archaeological festival, which will be on July 20 next year.