Former ACCA president prosecuted for theft

Former health service chief and ex ACCA president Dennis Yeates was sentenced to 32 weeks imprisonment yesterday at Warwick Crown Court after pleading guilty to a £20,000 theft.

He received a two year suspended sentence and was ordered to undertake 180 hours of unpaid work, as well as paying £550 in prosecution costs.

Yeates lost his job as deputy director of finance with the Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership and NHS Trust in 2007 but lead a double life, telling his family he was still in employment.

He offered to invest £20,000 for his stepson consultant orthopaedic surgeon Peter Thompson and Thompson’s GP wife Dr Sally Cooper in a company called Desire Petroleum plc, which he claimed to be working for – but no shares were purchased. Instead, he used the cash to fund a £7,000 trip to China as part of his pretence and used some of the cash to conduct an extra-martial affair with a woman in London.

“He is now ruined as far as his chosen profession is concerned”, said prosecuting barrister Nicholas Roberts.

Clive Booth, director of public affairs and media relations for the ACCA, told AccountingWEB.co.uk: “Whilst we are very sad to learn of this story, any member who misappropriates funds is liable to disciplinary action by ACCA. The matter is being looked into by ACCA’s Professional Conduct team and ACCA will not therefore be making any further comment until this matter has been concluded.”