Kirk treasurer who embezzled £70,000 from her local church jailed

Janet Farquhar, 70, helped herself from the accounts of Chalmers Memorial Church in Port Seton, East Lothian, for about eight years before her crimes came to light when the parish became unable to pay its annual Ministries and Mission contribution to the Church of Scotland.

Last month Farquhar, from Cockenzie, East Lothian, pled guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to embezzling £72,155.34 from Chalmers Memorial between January 16, 2008, and July 11, 2016.

She has so far repaid £15,000 to the church.

At yesterday’s sentencing, solicitor Colm Dempsey, defending, said his disabled client was “deeply ashamed and remorseful” and also plans to sell off her home to pay back the rest of the money she took.

But Sheriff Peter Braid told Farquhar that the offence was “a gross breach of trust” and gave him “no alternative to a custodial sentence”.

She was jailed for 18 months.

During the hearing the Crown also moved for a Confiscation Order and a hearing into that will take place in June.

Following yesterday’s sentencing, a Church of Scotland spokesman said: “We have been aware of this case for some time and we have been awaiting the outcome of the court case.

“Such crimes are highly unusual but they do cause hurt and mistrust in the local setting. We have been providing support for the congregation at this difficult time.”

Farquahar’s trial saw fiscal depute Rachel Adey tell Sheriff Peter Braid that on June 10, 2016, the executive treasurer of the Church of Scotland’s Finance Committee submitted a report on a number of congregations who were behind in their contributions to the kirk.

The report highlighted Chalmers Memorial as having significant dues and a number of letters were sent to Farquhar, but she never replied.

Ms Adey said more letters were sent asking for reasons for missing payments and offering assistance to solve any issues.

There was no reply by July 2016, but in August that year, Farquhar contacted the Church saying she would: “look into the issues of where payments had gone”.

On August 15, 2016, Farquhar was questioned about the payments and replied that the Bank of Scotland was “looking into it”.

The Church of Scotland contacted an elder of Chalmers Memorial Church, who worked in the Bank of Scotland, asking if she could find out where the money had been going.

The elder discovered that some of the payments were actually statements from 2013 and the year had been altered.

She also found that two cheques for £345 and £385 had been cashed by Farquhar at the Prestonpans branch of the bank, and in September 2016, Farquhar was removed from her position as the church’s treasurer.

Further investigations showed that between 2008 and 2016, Farquhar had taken £59,752.34 by cashing cheques and a further £12,403 from the church’s collection money.