Man stole £11k from Leicestershire archaeology group to help ill family

[gash]

The treasurer of an archaeology group stole more than £11,000 from his fellow members to help out his family.

Leicestershire Fieldworkers train up history enthusiasts to help with excavation programmes throughout the county and investigate local history.


John Maloney was in charge of their bank account, but when his family needed cash he wrote a string of cheques to himself to take care of them.

As soon as other leading members of the group spotted the missing cash in December 2016, he admitted stealing the money and tried to pay it back but his cheques bounced.

When the group went to the police, Maloney was let off with a caution on the understanding he would pay the money back. But again he failed to do so.

On Tuesday the 54-year-old appeared at Leicester Crown Court for sentencing having pleaded guilty to fraud, where a judge gave him a suspended jail sentence on the understanding he would pay back the outstanding money.

The court heard that since he was charged, Maloney had successfully paid back more than £6,000 but about £4,000 was still outstanding.

Mark Knowles, prosecuting, told the court: "Between 2012 and 2016 there were six cheques he had written to himself.

"He fully accepted what he had done and said he was under financial pressure."

Andrew Howarth, representing Maloney, said his client worked as an administrator for the NHS and was not well paid.

He said Maloney needed to pay to help his sister move into sheltered accommodation after she suffered a stroke and also paid a further £9,000 on work to his mother's home in Oxford that needed to be done because she had mobility problems.

Hundreds more was spent on trips to Oxford to see his mother, who passed away in 2017.

Mr Howarth said: "His mother lived in Oxford and had all sorts of mobility problems. His sister was her primary carer but she suffered a stroke in 2012.

"He had suffered seizures that prevented him from driving so he would travel weekly by rail and bus to see his mother at a cost of £80 a week.

"He agreed to pay for his sister moving into accommodation and his mother's accessibility works to her home.

"That's where the money went. Cheques are taken about once a year. It's wholly unsophisticated."

He said his client was selling his coin collection to pay money back to the group and could also promise to pay £200 a month until the outstanding cash was repaid.

Judge Timothy Spencer said he would accept the repayment plan but warned Maloney, of Hilders Road, Western Park, Leicester, he had to stick to it.

Read more : https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/man-stole-11k-leicestershire-archaeology-2916509?utm_source=whatsapp.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar