Former head of animal charity USPCA denies fraud charges

By Paul Higgins

The former head of an animal charity denied defrauding the USPCA on Friday.

Standing in the dock of Newry Crown Court, 54-year-old Stephen Philpott confirmed his identity before the charges were put to him for the first time.

He entered not guilty pleas to each of the three counts against him. 

The former chief executive of the USPCA Mr Philpott, from the Ashgrove Road in Newry, is accused of attempting to cause criminal damage to a house and its contents belonging to David Sinton, the theft of rental monies which belonged to the USPCA, for a property on the Clogharevan Road in Bessbrook and fraud by abusing his position within the charity.

All the alleged offences are suspected of being committed on various dates between 1 January 2005 and 28 November 2014. 

The particulars of the fraud charges allege that Mr Philpott obtained rental payments but "failed to account for the said payments and failed to bring notice of the said payments to the attention of the USPCA, with the intention, by means of the abuse of that position to make a gain for yourself or another or to cause loss to the USPCA or to expose the USPCA to a risk of a loss."

When he was initially in court last October, the former charity head was charged with conspiring with the woman to commit fraud through false representation in relation to the creation of false employment, concealing criminal property, namely cash, and a count of possessing criminal property but those charges were later dropped by the PPS. 

It is understood a police investigation was triggered after the USPCA reported what it described as “suspected irregularities” to the PSNI.

Following the short arraignment, Her Honour Judge McReynolds freed Mr Philpott on continuing bail and scheduled his trial for January next year.  

As part of his bail conditions, Mr Philpott is not allowed to make contact with any past or present employees of the USPCA, directly, indirectly or through a third party, and he is to reside at his home address.