Milton Keynes Olympian Greg Rutherford cheated out of £48,000

The gold-winning long jumper put all his trust in Gaby Stone to manage his affairs.

Instead Stone lied, cheated, and stole more than £48,000 to feed his gambling addiction, a court heard.

Stone was this week jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to fraud through abuse of position.

Greg did not attend the hearing, but in a statement read out in court he told how the breach of trust left him feeling physically ill.

Blackfriars Crown Court Judge John Hillen QC said: “Mr Rutherford, in his victim impact statement, stated that the thought that someone who had responsibility for a large part of his life and work, someone who he had placed trust in, had in fact been dishonest, left him, feeling sick.”

The court heard the fraud left Greg and his family facing severe financial pressure while he was training.

Stone first started managing Greg’s affairs eight years ago.

He looked after three other Olympic athletes, managing their appearances, sponsorship deals and merchandise.

News of the ‘missing’ money came two years ago,when Stone confessed to Greg that he had lost £40,000 through a bad investment.

In fact, he was spending the money on gambling, the court heard.

Greg, who is married with a toddler son, ended his contract with Stone in 2015.