Bishop facing jail for £180k theft at West Bromwich church
A bishop could be facing jail after admitting stealing £180,000 from a Midland church.
Gerald Edmund, 76, swindled the cash over an eight-month period from Bethel United Church of Jesus Christ Apostolic, a registered charity which has a convention centre based in Kelvin Way, West Bromwich.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one of fraud by false representation when he appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court.
Edmund, from Bristol, is believed to have stolen the money between July 2010 and February 2011.
He was prosecuted following a lengthy investigation by West Midland Police's Economic Crime Unit and will be sentenced at the city's crown court on August 22.
The Charity Commission is also carrying out an investigation. A Charity Commission spokeswoman said: "We are conducting an on-going operational compliance case involving the charity. The case focuses on concerns about misappropriation of funds and issues surrounding the charity's governance, accounting and reporting."
The Bethel convention centre has an auditorium with seating for 2,500 people as well as a chapel and baptism pool.
The church has declined to comment on the court case.
