A ROYAL British Legion treasurer who stole almost £7,000 from a Birmingham branch has avoided a jail sentence.
Judge Murray Creed told shamed Geoffrey Henrick: “You were in a position of trust. That makes this matter serious.”
Birmingham Crown Court heard Henrick siphoned off cash which should have boosted the Kings Heath branch’s coffers because his own finances were “out of control”.
He was rumbled when other branch officials grew suspicious about his failure to show them account statements and intercepted bank documents which revealed the scale of his crimes.
Henrick, 59, of Britford Close, Kings Heath, who had previously admitted charges of fraud and theft, was sentenced to 39 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
He was also ordered to perform 240 hours’ unpaid work and pay £6,800 compensation.
The judge said he accepted Henrick had admitted his guilt immediately and he had not lived the high life on the back of the cash.
Zaheer Afzal, prosecuting, said Henrick’s duties involved banking money received by the club, which included fees from its 190 members and charitable donations.
