Charity worker faces charges of theft of funds

A charity worker from North Wales has been accused of stealing
thousands of pounds from the charity, set up to help victims of
abuse.

Steve Messham from Wrexham, was chairperson of the charity,
North Wales Abuse Survivors (NORWAS) set up in the wake of the
North Wales child abuse scandal.

The group aimed to give help and guidance to abuse victims who
gave evidence at the public inquiry led by Sir Ronald Waterhouse,
which looked into the widespread abuse of children in care.

Messham faces five charges including two of theft, two of false
accounting and one of deception. The theft charges amount to
£29,960, deception charges £14,865 and the false
accounting charge of £18,997.

The charges follow a police investigation into the way that the
charity was run, and the alleged disappearance of thousands of
pounds of the charity’s assets. Messham is due to appear in court
on Wednesday (10 April).