Southwark Crown Court heard that Francisca Yawson, a 37-year-old mother of four from Stonebridge Park, made nine bank transfers to herself between September 2018 and August 2019, while employed as a gift aid and operations technician in the central London division of the diocese.
The suspended sentence means that she will not have to go to prison provided that she commits no further offences and complies with the requirements imposed by the court, including paying a fine of £1,000 and completing 150 hours of unpaid work and 15 hours of rehabilitation.
The Diocese of Westminster reported the incident to the police and other statutory authorities after the missing funds were discovered. The court was told that the stolen funds should have supported the homeless and food banks.
The Diocese of Westminster said, “We have been deeply disappointed by the length of time taken to bring this case before the courts. After the investigation was closed by the police, the Diocese continued to press for the matter to be reconsidered, and the case was subsequently reopened.
“The Diocese takes seriously its responsibility to steward the donations entrusted to us. This incident, through the deliberate and repeated subversion of our established procedures, represents a gross breach of trust.”
The Diocese said in a statement that it has reviewed its operational processes to ensure that such as incident could not occur again and continues to pursue full recovery of the funds.
The statement said, “We remain committed to maintaining robust financial controls and to rebuilding the confidence of our parishioners and donors.”