Fomer parish clerk evades jail sentence after £36,000 fraud

Alan Noble (67), of Little Dalby, appeared before a judge at Leicester Crown Court on Friday in connection with the crimes against Waltham on the Wolds and Thorpe Arnold Parish Council and Buckminster Parish Council.

He had been convicted at an earlier hearing of conning Waltham and Thorpe Arnold out of £21, 193.12 and Buckminster out of £15,131.12.

And on Friday, Judge Nicholas Dean sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to do 180 hours of unpaid work.

Det Con Christopher Morland from Leicestershire Police’s economic crime unit was the investigating officer.

He said: “Noble took up the positions of clerk to both parish councils knowing the responsibilities that the role carried.

“He abused his position not just on one occasion but on many.

“Money that was meant to be used for the good of the local community was used to line his pockets for his own financial gain.”

Following Friday’s hearing, Waltham on the Wolds and Thorpe Arnold Parish Council issued a statement which reads: “The parish council has spent a great deal of time working with the police to build a strong case for the prosecution.

“We are therefore pleased that our ex-clerk, Alan Noble, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud and false accounting.

“The suspended sentence is entirely appropriate due to the blatant abuse of trust involved.

“It is hoped that we will be able draw a close on an unfortunate period in our history and move forward.

“We will now be pursuing all means possible to recover the parish’s monetary loss.”