Mother spared prison after stealing nearly £100,000 from diocese

Southwark Crown Court - Wiki Image

A former employee who stole almost £100,000 from the Diocese of Westminster, has avoided an immediate prison sentence when her case was heard on Friday, 6 February, at Southwark Crown Court. Mother of four, Francisca Yawson was given a suspended sentence of two years in prison, and ordered to pay £1,000, complete 150 hours of unpaid work, and undertake 15 hours of a rehabilitation requirement

Southwark Crown Court heard that Ms Yawson, 37, made nine bank transfers to herself between September 2018 and August 2019, while employed in the central London division of the diocese as a gift aid and operations technician.

Yawson pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft. The court was told that the stolen funds could have supported the homeless and food banks - but instead went towards funding Yawson's personal life, including items from John Lewis, and payments totalling £8500 to her grandmother in Jamaica.

The thefts began with a payment of £247, and escalated to a single transfer of nearly £20,000. Prosecutors said dates and amounts matched transfers to Yawson's personal accounts.

Judge Mark Weekes told Yawson: "All in all, you were funding yourself to a reasonably good standard of lifestyle - grossly and dishonestly." He added that it would be on her "conscience" that children may have gone hungry "while you were helping yourself to a high lifestyle".

The judge highlighted a "shocking" delay in the case, after police wrongly closed the investigation between 2021 and 2025, which he said contributed to a "different outcome." Judge Weekes said that, had sentencing for her "meanness and selfishness" taken place in 2019 or 2020, Yawson would likely have received an immediate custodial sentence. "You are lucky because of the passage of time," he added, urging her to reflect on "the very real damage you caused to people less fortunate than you".

Lawyer for her defence, Ryan Evans, said Yawson had lost her job and was now on universal credit, and that the proceedings, combined with having a newborn, had been "very difficult".

The Diocese of Westminster said in a statement, the incident had been reported "to the police and other statutory authorities after the missing funds were discovered, in line with our established procedures. We have been deeply disappointed by the length of time taken to bring this case before the courts. After the investigation was closed by the police, the Diocese continued to press for the matter to be reconsidered, and the case was subsequently reopened.

"The Diocese takes seriously its responsibility to steward the donations entrusted to us. This incident, through the deliberate and repeated subversion of our established procedures, represents a gross breach of trust.

"In response, the Diocese reviewed and strengthened its operational processes, governance arrangements, and oversight of Gift Aid claims to ensure insofar as possible that such an incident cannot occur again. We continue to pursue full recovery of the monies lost.

"We remain committed to maintaining robust financial controls and to rebuilding the confidence of our parishioners and donors. Anyone who may suspect financial or other misconduct involving any diocesan employee, office, or other setting is encouraged to make a report to the diocese or to the police."