Church Worker Avoids Prison After Stealing Nearly £100,000 from Diocese
A mother-of-four who systematically stole almost £100,000 from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster has avoided immediate imprisonment despite the judge acknowledging her crimes deprived homeless people and food banks of vital support. Francisca Yawson, aged 37, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to nine separate counts of theft.
Systematic Transfers Funded 'High Lifestyle'
While employed as a gift aid and operations technician for the central London church division, Yawson executed nine unauthorized bank transfers to her personal accounts between September 2018 and August 2019. The thefts began with a relatively modest £247 payment but escalated dramatically, culminating in a single transfer of almost £20,000. In total, she misappropriated more than £96,000 from diocesan funds.
Prosecutors revealed Yawson deliberately disguised her actions within the diocese's financial records, though investigators were able to match dates and amounts to transfers directly into her personal bank accounts. The court heard she used the stolen money primarily for "day-to-day" expenses to maintain what Judge Mark Weekes described as funding herself "to a reasonably good standard of lifestyle – grossly and dishonestly."
Judge Condemns Impact on Vulnerable Communities
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Weekes emphasized the profound consequences of Yawson's actions, stating the stolen funds could have been deployed to assist homeless individuals and families relying on food banks. "It would be on your conscience that children may have gone hungry while you were helping yourself to a high lifestyle," he told the defendant.
The judge highlighted what he termed a "shocking" delay in the case after police incorrectly closed the investigation between 2021 and 2025. He suggested this procedural failure produced a "different outcome," noting that had sentencing occurred in 2019 or 2020 when the crimes were fresh, Yawson would likely have received an immediate custodial sentence for her "meanness and selfishness."
Diocese Expresses Community-Wide Harm
Nicholas Seed, the diocese's chief financial officer, submitted a victim impact statement read to the court describing the theft as "upsetting" given the intended charitable purposes of the stolen money. "The harm caused by Yawson's actions therefore reverberates beyond this courtroom to every corner of our community," Seed stated, underscoring how the funds could have supported vulnerable populations across London.
Mitigating Circumstances and Sentence
Defense counsel Ryan Evans presented mitigating factors, including that Yawson had recently given birth to her fourth child in October and found the stress of legal proceedings combined with newborn care "very difficult." He noted she had lost her employment and was currently receiving universal credit. Yawson claimed £8,500 of the stolen money was sent to Jamaica to support her ill grandmother.
Judge Weekes ultimately sentenced Yawson to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, telling her she was "lucky because of the passage of time" and urging reflection on "the very real damage you caused to people less fortunate than you." Additional orders included:
- Payment of £1,000 compensation
- 150 hours of unpaid community work
- 15 hours of rehabilitation activities
The defendant, residing in Stonebridge Park, Brent, northwest London, will serve her sentence in the community under the suspended terms imposed by the court.
