Church conman is jailed

Stephen Methuen was jailed for five years for the "despicable" acts of fraud, which he committed while volunteering his time as treasurer for both Amblecote Christian Centre and the Christian International Relief Mission, based in Stourbridge.

But over a six-year period, he took in the region of £400,000 from the evangelical church and more than £100,000 from the charity, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday.

The court heard that the professional accountant "used his guile" to exploit the most deserving in order to "line his own pockets".

Methuen, of Smalman Close, Wordsley, which he shared with his now estranged wife Linda and her four children, admitted a total of 16 counts of fraud.

Six charges revealed that he falsified documents at Amblecote Christian Centre, in Brettell Lane, to conceal payments being made to his personal and business accounts between 2003 and 2009.

Conceal

A further six counts related to the falsification by him of documents for the Christian International Relief Mission, also between 2003 and 2009, to conceal payments to him.

He also admitted a further four charges relating to when, as treasurer of the Christian Centre, he cheated HM Revenue and Customs out of £195,000 by filing gift aid repayment claims which overstated the total charitable donations between 2005 and 2009, the court was told.

The stolen funds went on his home, debts and also on trying to save his failing business, Accountancy Services Midlands Ltd, which went into liquidation in 2009.

Mr John Attwood, for Methuen, said his client was "deeply ashamed" of what he had done.

Jailing Methuen, Judge John Maxwell described the frauds as "despicable".

He told the defendant: "What you have done has severe consequences for the charities and also for the public. It does not end there because you tried to cover your tracks in a sophisticated way. You falsified accounts when people tried to check up on you and you put them off the scent."

Following yesterday's hearing, the senior minister of the church that was swindled out of more than £400,000 by Methuen today said he hoped prison would provide the fraudster with "a period of personal reflection".

Pastor Adrian Lowe said it was never the church's desire for Methuen to receive the longest sentence possible.

He added: "Now that a prison sentence has been passed, we hope the time he spends without his freedom will provide a period of personal reflection and lead to remorse.

"Steve was a personal friend to many of our congregation. Our hearts go out to those who may have been hurt during this very sad affair dating back to 2003 when the offences began. We think especially at this time too of Steve's wife and the extended family, who have faced the sudden glare of the public spotlight through no fault of their own. No-one takes delight in the outcome; rather we can only see the end of the case as drawing a line under the events of the past three and a half years."

Yesterday's hearing heard that some of the money stolen was made-up of falsified Government gift aid payments that were made by HM Revenue & Customs to the church. Trustees at the church would have been liable to repay that money but the court was told the Government department had taken a "compassionate" view and had effectively "written off" the money owed.

Graham Ranson, assistant director of the criminal taxes unit, said today: "Methuen was ruthless in his campaign to steal these substantial funds. He gained the organisations trust over a number of years and held a respected position.

"This did not satisfy him or provide any sense of loyalty.

"The gift aid scheme is designed to benefit charities, but Methuen continued to falsify business records for his own financial benefit. The prison sentence handed out by the courts sends out a clear message that crime does not pay and the community will be horrified to learn he exploited and stole from these charities and the taxpayer, in a sustained and methodical way, over a number of years."