AN ACCOUNTANT who had a "road to Damascus conversion" and confessed to police he had defrauded his church of more than £78,000 has been jailed for ten months.
Australian-born David Goodwin (42), from Holland Park in east Belfast, was former financial officer of his Christian Fellowship Church.
Belfast Crown Court heard that he had obtained money by creating false invoices and credit notes and transferring the funds to his own bank account.
As a result of his fraud, several church activities had to be closed and staff made redundant.
Goodwin came to Belfast from Australia with a £135,000 nest egg from his parents to buy a house but he "squandered" the money, the court heard.
Judge Geoffrey Miller QC, who said the fraud was to sustain Goodwin's lifestyle, added that the fraudster had undergone a "road to Damascus conversion" and had made full admissions to police.
The prosecution said that before going to police, Goodwin prepared a spread sheet on his computer detailing his 100 frauds committed over a two year period from March 1, 2014 to May 13, 2016.
Before Goodwin became the church's financial officer he had helped out on a voluntary basis and discovered how easy it was manipulate the books, the court heard.
The defence said that the father-of-one, whose wife is from the north, spent money on a lifestyle beyond his means.
However, talks by a one-time petty criminal on how he had found God struck a cord with Goodwin and led him to confess his crimes, the defence said.
