The former chief executive of the USPCA has been sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for two years at Newry Crown Court.
Stephen Philpott, of the Manse, in Newry, appeared before the city’s Crown Court this morning (Monday) having previously pled guilty to defrauding the animal charity over a seven year period.
The 55-year-old admitted to abusing his position by obtaining rental payments for an address in Bessbrook between January 2007 and November 2014.
The property belonged to the USPCA.
Philpott was due to go to trial earlier this year but entered a guilty plea just after the jury had been sworn in.
Two further charges of stealing from the animal charity and attempting to cause criminal damage to a residential property and its contents remained on the books and were not proceeded with.
For all the latest breaking news across the county and two council boroughs in Armagh and Newry, follow Armagh I on Twitter @armaghi. You can now follow us on Instagram @armaghi2012. If you have a story/image/video you would like to send to us, or if you wish to contribute editorially to the website, you can email us directly at info@35.242.148.148.
