A FORMER DUP councillor has avoided jail after being convicted of fraud at Derry Magistrates Court.
Bill Irwin (55), from Duncastle Road in Newbuildings, was given a suspended six month sentence after pleading guilty to 23 charges.
The charges relate to heating oil he had delivered to his home but invoiced the DUP office where he worked.
The former Derry City councillor admitted the offences which occurred between March 2009 and February 2014. The total amount involved was £8,960.
He had previously represented the party on Derry City Council from 1993 until 1997.
The court was told that Irwin was the constituency office manager for the office of the former Assembly Speaker William Hay in Ebrington Terrace in Derry.
Irwin is the brother-in-law of Mr Hay, who now sits in the House of Lords.
The offences came to light in 2014 after Mr Hay noticed discrepancies between the amount of oil being delivered to his offices and the amount invoiced for.
He brought his concerns to the Clerk of the Assembly and was advised to go to the police.
Irwin was suspended and an investigation began and it was noticed that some of the signatures for the oil were different from Mr Hay's normal one.
It was also found that the capacity for the oil tank at the DUP office was 1100 litres while that of Irwin's was 2200 litres and some deliveries were in excess of 1100 litres.
The court heard that on 23 occasions Irwin had oil delivered to his home while charging the DUP office and therefore the Assembly for it.
On most occasions he had oil delivered simultaneously to the office and home but on some it was delivered straight to his home.
When interviewed Irwin said he had oil delivered on two occasions in lieu of expenses he believed he was owed.
Defence barrister Mark Reel said that his client accepted full responsibility for his actions and added that he was in financial difficulties at the time.
He said Irwin had already refunded £5,000 to the Assembly and intended to repay the rest immediately.
The barrister submitted references from various community bodies in the city including the Inner City Trust and the City Centre initiative all praising Irwin's community role.
One reference described him as 'an unsung hero' of efforts to resolve tensions around parading in the city.
Deputy District judge Noel Dunlop however said the offences were "serious" and "a gross breach of trust."
Accepting that Irwin had contributed to the community and had no previous convictions for dishonesty, the judge suspended his six month jail term for two years.
