Charles McFarlane, 56, of St Helens, has been sentenced for fraud by abuse of position after transferring thousands of pounds from Eccleston Bowling Club to himself. He used the money to pay for a cruise holiday with his wife and to fund trips to pubs in Southport and across the Lake District.
Theft from the club
McFarlane had been treasurer of Eccleston Bowling Club for more than a decade when he began taking funds that were entitled to the shareholders. After the club was devastated by an arson attack, the chairman attempted to close down the company and distribute the funds, but McFarlane had already transferred himself thousands of pounds.
A judge at Liverpool Crown Court told him: "This was an appalling and unforgivable abuse of trust for a club that had already suffered so much."
Discovery of payments
Cecelia Prichard, prosecuting, told the court that McFarlane had been treasurer since 2011. The chairman asked McFarlane to supply relevant statements, which he failed to do. Club chairman Julian Cliffe was in a position to dissolve the company in 2024. After accessing the paperwork himself, Mr Cliffe found that 12 payments had been made from the club's finances to McFarlane, totalling £15,850. The payments ranged between £350 and £5,100.
The court heard the payments matched up to a time when McFarlane had posted on his Facebook account about his holiday in the same area. Ms Pritchard said McFarlane had suggested all directors should resign so shareholders could claim their payment, which the prosecution described as a ploy to cover his tracks.
Sentencing and repayment
McFarlane, of Grafton Street in St Helens, defrauded the bowling club out of a total of £20,071.90 between July 2023 and July 2025. The court heard he had attempted to pay back the money using gambling funds, but the payment had not gone through. He agreed to pay back the full amount following the successful sale of his parents' house.
McFarlane was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also made subject to a 12-month probation requirement and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He was told to pay back the money within 24 months.
