Charity treasurer jailed for writing £27k of cheques to himself
- 12 Nov
Philip Wrench, the treasurer for MS Society, has been jailed after writing himself 71 cheques worth a total of £26,973.5
4.
The former treasurer was sentenced to 16 months in prison after being caught by failing to give the annual reports in to auditors.
Wrench had been a volunteer at the charity, which helps people suffering with multiple sclerosis, for 6 years; between March 2010 and February this year had written himself 71 cheques out of the Macclesfield branch's annual income of £100,000.
As treasurer, he is required to complete the annual reports before 31st October, but by January had not submitted them. He then gave his notice for this role, which helped auditors pick up on the fraud and was sentenced at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to fraud by abuse of position.
Det Con Sarah Newton of Cheshire Police, who led the investigation, said:
This was an appalling abuse of trust. The charity had placed him in a position which gave him access to large sums of money and he took advantage.
Derek Farmer, chairman of the MS Society Macclesfield, urged people to continue supporting the charity:
We are satisfied that this matter has been brought to a conclusion by the courts and we can now begin our own internal audit review.
We cannot do the work we do without the trust and generosity of our members and supporters.
I would like to reassure them that this has been dealt with quickly and we can now get on with what we're here for - to support people with MS.
Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1222895
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