A former assistant accountant at the Church of England’s finance and administrative headquarters in Westminster is to stand trial accused of embezzling # 250,000 from church funds over a six-year period.
Dean Bailey, 53, of Bethnal Green, east London, was given unconditional bail for trial at Southwark Crown Court by Horseferry Road Court last Thursday.
He faces specimen charges of stealing sums of between # 130 and # 8,125 belonging to the Diocese of London and totalling # 49,334, between July 1990 and January 1996. Bailey also faces one charge of attempting to steal # 5,000 at the London Diocesan Fund Offices in Westminster on 28 February this year.
The Crown dropped charges of falsifying ledgers and cheque funds and of obtaining # 237,491 by deception. Bailey had originally been accused of falsely representing ledgers showing that funds were being paid to legitimate recipients.
Magistrate Jeremy Coleman ordered Bailey to appear at the Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on 4 October.