Community service for man who stole £75,000 from church

Community service for man who stole £75,000 from church

15 June 2016

A DUNDRUM man who swindled £75,000 from his church has been sentenced to community service.

Sixty three year-old Terrence Connor was the treasurer of Seaforde Presbyterian Church when he took the money over a seven year period which only came to life when he confessed to the church minister.

Connor, of Castle Heights, has sold his house to pay back all the money after being charged with one count of fraud by abuse of position.

He was sentenced at Downpatrick Crown Court on Friday and ordered to undertake 100 hours of community service and two years of probation.

The court was told the offence came to life in April 2014 when Connor arrived at the home of his minister with a handwritten letter informing him he had removed £75,180 from church funds between 2007 and 2014.

He was tearful and upset and apologised for his actions.

The court heard the money had been removed in “small regular amounts” and there were “no signs of a lavish lifestyle.”

A defence barrister said Connor had been attending Seaforde Presbyterian Church for many years.

“The church played a central role in his life and there he was committing acts, not only against the congregation, but against the very tenets of the religion he followed,” the barrister added.

He told the court Connor had approached the minister and admitted his crime because he could no longer bear the burden of guilt.

“He was not under any suspicion but couldn’t live with himself.”

Connor also lost his job after he told his employer what he had done.

“He also had to endure quite a lot of embarrassment. What happened was proclaimed from the pulpit and he felt he was living in a gold fish bowl and he had to deal with all the opprobrium.”

He described the response of the Seaforde congregation to what had happened as “faith in action.”

 “In the main the reaction of the congregation was one of surprise and hurt and regard for this man and his family,” the barrister added.

He added that with the money repaid in full the congregation saw no benefit in the matter coming before the court.

“They had been wronged and they had been hurt but they have forgiven.”

An elder at Seaforde Presbyterian Church accompanied the defendant at an earlier court hearing in Downpatrick.

He took to the witness stand and said there had been shock and disbelief when it emerged what had happened. He added that the majority of the congregation felt their former treasurer should be given a second chance.

“We are Christians and we have been forgiven ourselves,” he said. “Terry had done wrong but we felt he should be given a second chance.”

The court was told the defendant was encouraged to return to church.

“We felt Seaforde was his place of worship and he and his family had come for years and we could see no reason why he shouldn’t come back.”

The defence barrister urged His Honour Judge Grant to exercise leniency and punish his client otherwise than by imposing an immediate custodial sentence.

He said there was no suggestion Connor was “living the high life” and “driving fast cars” and added his client had blown “the whistle on himself.”

“In this case we have someone who willingly came forward because the shame and guilt had got the better of him.

“He is not a man of means and his asset was his home and that has gone,” he added.

Judge Grant, however, said it was a “very serious offence.”

“This was a longstanding breach of trust over a substantial period of time, involving a very substantial amount of money,” he added.

He deferred sentencing until last Friday morning and remanded the Dundrum man in custody.

At Friday morning’s hearing in Belfast Judge Grant said real remorse was demonstrated by real attempts to repay and recompense “those who have suffered loss.”

“That is an important factor that the court can take into account,” he added.

“Having admitted the offence to the police and to the church you then sold your house and raised the full amount and repaid that full amount to the church.”

In light of this, the judge added, he had decided to take the “exceptional” course of not imposing a custodial sentence.