A man has been jailed for five years after stealing over £300,000 from a Welsh branch of the YMCA.
Andrew Philpin, from Skewen, was YMCA Port Talbot’s former finance manager and stole £310,000 in charitable funds over a period of six years.
The fraud has left the charity “at the risk of bankruptcy”, according to South Wales Police, with “dozens of staff” at risk of redundancy.
Detective constable Annie Rees said: “This was a long term-fraud which has had devastating consequences on not just a local charity, but also those employed by the charity and those who rely on its services.
“Andrew Philpin abused his position of trust within the charity, and will now rightfully serve a prison sentence.”
A proceeds of crime investigation will now be undertaken to recover the money that was stolen.
According to a report on ITV News, Philpin spent the funds on holidays, jewellery, home renovations and rare vinyl records.
‘The Commission is satisfied that trustees are dealing with the situation’
The charity, which operates a hostel for homeless young men, has not filed its accounts with the Charity Commission for two years.
Its latest available accounts are for the financial year ending March 2021, which were filed 95 days late and show a total income of £443,000.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: “We can confirm that in line with our guidance, the charity filed a serious incident report relating to fraudulent activity.
“The Commission was satisfied that the trustees were dealing appropriately with the situation.
“The YMCA Port Talbot remains a registered charity on our register.”
YMCA Port Talbot did not respond to requests for comment.
