Treasurer defrauds animal charity of more than £230,000

The Treasurer of an animal charity has pleaded guilty to defrauding the organisation of more than £230,000.

Kevin Proctor was Treasurer of the Barnsley Animal Rescue Centre (BARC), one of Yorkshire’s largest animal rescue charities, from August 2016 to August 2022.

He was charged with fraud by abuse of position at Sheffield Crown Court on 26 July and will be sentenced on 4 October.

According to the Charities Commission, it opened a regulatory compliance case into the charity in 2022 regarding alleged fraudulent activity by its former Treasurer.

At the same time, the Commission engaged with the Trustees to gather more information and decide on the next steps.

A statement from BARC’s committee said that it had been “a difficult and disappointing time for our charity and was reported immediately to the Charity Commission and the Barnsley C.I.D. who have dealt with this matter on our behalf.”

Roger Isaacs, National Technical Director of NIFA, said: “Charity fraud is far more common than one might think if one were to judge its frequency by the number of reported cases.  Often charities are very wary of frauds becoming public knowledge for fear of damage to their reputations.

“Specifically, they tend to worry that donors will be discouraged from donating if they form the view that their donations may not be secure.

“This can even mean that there are occasions when perpetrators of fraud avoid having to face justice.  On the other hand, those few charities that take private prosecutions against those that have stolen from them can send a strong message of deterrence.

“These prosecutions need to be supported by strong evidence and usually require support from forensic accountants to explain to the jury not only how funds were misappropriated but why the financial evidence proves that the fraud was perpetrated by the accused.”

Sources: BBC News