A mother who gambled away at least £135,000 donated for her son's cancer treatment has been spared jail.

A judge accepted mother-of-three Stacey Worsley had been under "extraordinary pressure" when she lost the money.

The nurse had started gambling online to try and raising funds to help her son Toby Nye, who was battling the rare cancer neuroblastoma, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Judge Guy Kearl QC accepted this was her intention and described how Worsley began chasing her losses and the situation "spiralled".

He told the 32-year-old: "You became overwhelmed by the situation in which you found yourself."


Mr Kearl added: "No-one could fail to be moved by your story."

Toby's £200,000 treatment was eventually paid for after Leeds United football club became involved in the fundraising.

The youngster died earlier this year aged six.

Worsley, of Osmondthorpe, Leeds, was given a two-year jail sentence suspended for two years after admitting fraud at an earlier hearing.

Mr Kearl said he had to balance the "extraordinary pressure" Worsley had been under against the dent in confidence this case would inevitably bring to others wanting to donate in similar circumstances.

He also noted the mother had not spent any of the money on luxuries for herself.

Mr Kearl said: "This case is unique. The confluence of mitigating factors takes it far outside the norm and are unlikely to recur."

The judge was told that Worsley ran up £140,000 in gambling debts.

He said the donated cash had been recovered from the online gambling companies.

West Yorkshire Police currently holds around £135,000 which will be given back to major donors and other charities.

The judge heard how Toby was initially treated on the NHS but, when this trial failed, his family began a £200,000 fundraising campaign.

This involved a JustGiving page plus a range of other activities, including raffles and a charity ball.

Toby's school raised almost £6,000 and one woman donated a large sum raised for her daughter after the NHS stepped in to fund her treatment, prosecutor Phillip Adams told the court.

Leeds United became involved in fundraising for Toby in August 2017, which raised the profile of the campaign.

After the football club's involvement, a decision was taken to close the JustGiving page, which had raised £65,000.

Some £41,000 of the sum was given to Worsley to help improve Toby's life.

Mr Adams said other donations had gone directly to the defendant.

Nicholas De La Poer, defending, said Toby died 11 weeks ago after a "long and courageous fight".

He added: "The gambling started with the best of intentions and it became a compulsive distraction from the horrors of the situation."

The barrister said the online betting "spiralled hopelessly out of control" and "she was in the grip of it".

Mr De La Poer argued that Worsley's surviving children, who are aged seven and two, needed their mother.

He said his client would almost certainly lose her job as a nurse as a result of the conviction.

As she left the courtroom, Worsley was hugged by members of her family, many of whom were in tears.

The court heard that none of the money raised by Leeds United went through Worsley and was all spent on Toby's treatment.