Woman accused of £200k charity fraud over nine years

A Devon woman is accused of stealing £200,000 from a local charity over nine years, a court has heard.

Geraldine Coates, 59, of Kings Road in Honiton, is accused of siphoning off the money while working as treasurer of the Honiton and District Agricultural Association, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Concerns were raised when suppliers were contacted and confirmed they had never received payments they were owed by the association.

Alistair Heggarty, prosecuting, said Coates, who denies one charge of fraud by abuse of position, held the role from 1996 to 2018. The charge is related to the period 2009 to 2018.

HDAA is a registered charity that funds local agricultural and educational projects.

It raises money through land rental, auctions and its well known annual agricultural show, which has run for more than 100 years.

Jurors heard Coates, who runs her own bookkeeping company, was responsible for managing accounts, paying bills, overseeing invoices and chasing payments.

Heggarty said Coates had built long-standing relationships within the organisation, allowing her to get around limited financial checks.

"She took advantage of that trust over nine years to siphon funds for her own personal benefit," he said.

The court was told Coates transferred money directly into her own account. "She keeps the money," said the prosecutor.

The trial continues.

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