Church fraud a shocking breach of trust - Reverend

The vicar of a church that had £126,000 stolen by a former treasurer has described the crime as a "shocking breach of trust".

Desmond Rodgers, 51, of Hough Way, Shifnal, pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud by abuse of position on 28 January and was sentenced to 32 months in prison at Shrewsbury Crown Court on 17 April.

He also took £44,900 from local scout groups.

Reverend Chris Thorpe, the vicar of St Andrew's Church in Shifnal, said: "It was devastating. It put all of our work in the community under threat."

The Scouts said Rodgers had "betrayed the trust placed in him by the local community".

The organisation said he had been a treasurer and administrator for the Shropshire Severn and Teme District Scouts up until the time his activities were discovered. He was suspended in June 2024.

It said he had been involved in a "sophisticated and coordinated operation designed to defraud community organisations of vital funds", and had taken money from both the district and the Shifnal Scout and Guides Hut Committee.

The two scout groups affected were Madeley scouts, which lost £28,300 and Shifnal scouts, which lost £16,600, the fraud charges revealed.

The Scouts said the crimes "had a significant impact on local scouting".

Rvd Chris Thorpe said the church discovered in August 2023 that Rodgers had taken most of its funds.

But he added: "We were amazed at the response from local people who rallied immediately and sufficient funds were donated to allow us to keep working in our community."

He said the church was "thankful for all the volunteers who give their time so generously", and that, as a result, it had been able to continue its work.

He also said the church's bank had recently agreed to refund a large proportion of the money stolen.

The Scouts said it had been able to get a refund from its bank too and the district was "working to overcome these challenges and continue to provide skills for life for young people".

It said when volunteers, like Rodgers, become trustees, they "sign up to the responsibilities of a charity trustee and undertake a criminal record check".

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.