Ex-treasurer is jailed for theft
Thursday, 1st February 2001.
A FORMER treasurer who stole more than £9,000 from a charity for disabled children has been jailed for nine months.
Phillip Tilley, 34, of Cambridge Way, Haverhill, was treasurer of the Haverhill-based Local Association for the Mentally and Physically Handicapped (LAMPH).
Tilley appeared for sentence last week at Ipswich Crown Court after earlier admitting 31 charges of theft involving a total of £9,242 between March 1999 and February last year.
Hugh Vass, prosecuting, told the court Tilley had volunteered to become the charity's treasurer after the former treasurer resigned.
When he took over, there was about £18,000 in the charity's main bank account, said Mr Vass, and LAMPH chairman Graham Hatfield would countersign cheques handled by Tilley as treasurer.
Mr Vass added these were sometimes blank cheques because Mr Hatfield trusted Tilley.
The offences first came to light in the March-April period of last year when the cleaner and others complained they had not been paid by LAMPH.
Tilley was eventually confronted with having stolen the money but did not repay it when the charity's committee gave him the opportunity to do so before putting it in the hands of the police.
In mitigation, defence barrister Michael Crimp said the money was not used to pay for "an exotic lifestyle" and the stealing was "wholly unsophisticated".
He added vigorous auditing would have brought it to light eventually.
Sentencing Tilley, Judge Nicholas Beddard said: "These offences were carried out systematically and represent a very serious breach of trust."
Speaking after the hearing, Elaine Hatfield, leader of the LAMPH Playgroup, said she was pleased the case was over so the committee could now look forward and put it all behind them.
"I think justice has been done because of whom he took the money from," she said. "They are children and adults with disabilities who cannot fend for themselves. He could not have taken it from anyone worse off."
The money which Tilley stole had been set aside towards new kitchens and toilets and for replacing the charity's minibus when necessary, she said.
New fundraising is now taking place to replace it and several new committee members joined the charity, which has been in Haverhill for 30 years, at a meeting last autumn.
Mrs Hatfield added new systems had been put into place to prevent the same thing happening again and she warned other groups to take similar steps.
Phillip Tilley, 34, of Cambridge Way, Haverhill, was treasurer of the Haverhill-based Local Association for the Mentally and Physically Handicapped (LAMPH).
Tilley appeared for sentence last week at Ipswich Crown Court after earlier admitting 31 charges of theft involving a total of £9,242 between March 1999 and February last year.
Hugh Vass, prosecuting, told the court Tilley had volunteered to become the charity's treasurer after the former treasurer resigned.
When he took over, there was about £18,000 in the charity's main bank account, said Mr Vass, and LAMPH chairman Graham Hatfield would countersign cheques handled by Tilley as treasurer.
Mr Vass added these were sometimes blank cheques because Mr Hatfield trusted Tilley.
The offences first came to light in the March-April period of last year when the cleaner and others complained they had not been paid by LAMPH.
Tilley was eventually confronted with having stolen the money but did not repay it when the charity's committee gave him the opportunity to do so before putting it in the hands of the police.
In mitigation, defence barrister Michael Crimp said the money was not used to pay for "an exotic lifestyle" and the stealing was "wholly unsophisticated".
He added vigorous auditing would have brought it to light eventually.
Sentencing Tilley, Judge Nicholas Beddard said: "These offences were carried out systematically and represent a very serious breach of trust."
Speaking after the hearing, Elaine Hatfield, leader of the LAMPH Playgroup, said she was pleased the case was over so the committee could now look forward and put it all behind them.
"I think justice has been done because of whom he took the money from," she said. "They are children and adults with disabilities who cannot fend for themselves. He could not have taken it from anyone worse off."
The money which Tilley stole had been set aside towards new kitchens and toilets and for replacing the charity's minibus when necessary, she said.
New fundraising is now taking place to replace it and several new committee members joined the charity, which has been in Haverhill for 30 years, at a meeting last autumn.
Mrs Hatfield added new systems had been put into place to prevent the same thing happening again and she warned other groups to take similar steps.
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