Gambler swindled friend of life savings

A former professional footballer who swindled a friend out of her £100,000 life savings to pay for his gambling addiction was jailed for three years. Andrew Hawkins, 45, promised to invest Fiona Anderson’s money in a sports hedge fund and property in Scotland. But the former Dunfermline Athletic striker blew £102,420 on his gambling habit, Southwark Crown Court heard. Ms Anderson, who had recently gone through a divorce, was forced to go into debt to pay her mortgage and tax…