A heartless fraudster has been jailed for stealing thousands of pounds from a children’s charity.
Howard Rose (pictured), 63, of The Village, Earswick, York, was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment at York Crown Court today (6 October 2011) after pleading guilty to stealing £76,040 from the Yorkshire Children’s Hospital Trust.
Rose, in his role as the Trust’s administrator, diverted funds which charities had donated to the Trust to his personal bank account using false invoices.
He used headed paper bearing the charities’ logos to cover up his wrongdoing and used the money he stole to pay off his debts.
Rose’s crimes were uncovered after North Yorkshire Police were called in by the trustees.
Investigating officers discovered that Rose had been taking money out of the Trust’s funds for his own benefit for almost three years, between 1 June 2007 and 31 May 2010.
Detective Sergeant Garry Ridler, of North Yorkshire Police’s Major Fraud Team, condemned Rose’s deceitful actions.
He said:
Howard Rose abused his role within the Trust for his own personal gain, without sparing a thought for the children he was supposed to be helping.
He stole funds which people had donated for the care of sick children and for that he fully deserves the sentence he has been given.
He now has time to reflect on the major breach of trust which he should be ashamed of, considering the length of time in which he had been taking what amounted to a substantial amount of money.
Anyone who thinks they can get away with deception on this scale is mistaken. The police will thoroughly investigate and you will be brought to justice.
