Former Vic regular, Michael Arnold, jailed for fraud

Former Vic regular, Michael Arnold, jailed for fraud

Thursday, 5 November 2009

If you have read Victoria Coren’s excellent new book For Richer For Poorer then you’ll no doubt be aware of an outlandish character called Michael Arnold and his famous call of “one seat here!” at the Vic. As was hinted in the book Arnold was involved in a court case that left some wags saying, “one jail cell here”.

That case has now come to a conclusion with the 76-year-old set to miss more than the odd poker session. Arnold admitted defrauding The Master of the Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies out of £500,000 and was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court to 18 months in prison. It’s thought that Arnold used the money, including a £15,000 retainer that Maxwell-Davies received as the Queen’s composer, to fund his gambling habit.


Speaking after the case Maxwell-Davies said, “I am delighted at the sentence. I wish I had never met Michael Arnold and I am glad he has been jailed. I went through some very difficult times because of him and I am glad it is now resolved and I can move on. I may even set it all to music. Who knows? That would be the ultimate revenge.”



Tags: Poker News, Former, Vic, regular, , Michael, Arnold, , jailed, for, fraud