The Chase winner stole £53,000 from the bank accounts of dead people

25 October 2022, 12:10

A finance consultant who won an episode of The Chase stole £53,000 from the bank accounts of dead people after getting himself into debt.

Daniel Hodgin, 47, who worked at Halifax in Leyland, transferred cash between the bank accounts of several dead customers before taking it for himself.

Mr Hodgin copied a payment meant for funeral expenses and instead paid himself £4,500, LancsLive reported.

He won a share of £14,000 after appearing on an episode of The Chase in 2017. It was not until four years later that Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Halifax, noticed two fraudulent payments worth over £30,000 from the bank account of a dead woman.

A subsequent investigation revealed the accounts of several dead people had been re-opened, with Mr Hodgin the 'common link', according to prosector David Clarke.

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Anna Chesnutt, who defended Mr Hodgin, said the former financial consultant had been in debt since 2008 but had hidden this from his loved ones.

Since his offences, he is said to have worked with multiple charities to understand why he committed them. He has been sentenced to 20 months suspended for 20 months and must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Mr Hodgin is due to return to court on December 9 where Proceeds of Crime proceedings will be reviewed.