Godfrey Ellis: Lurgan's Shankill Parish Church former treasurer admits fraud of more than half a million pounds

Standing in the dock of Craigavon Crown Court on Friday and with some of the congregation watching from the public gallery, 54-year-old Godfrey Ellis entered guilty pleas to two of the four charges against him, namely fraud by abuse of position and forgery.

Ellis, from Clanconnell Gardens in Waringstown, admitted that between July 26, 2011 and February 9, 2020, he abused his position of trust within Shankill Parish Church in Lurgan to transfer £643,637.31 from the church’s bank account to his account under his control. He also admitted a charge of forging a cheque on 9 February 2020.

The defendant did however plead not guilty to two further charges of fraud by abuse of position, denying that he used £102,313 of parish funds to pay his credit cards and that he misrepresented the church’s bank balance, claiming it was “£30,482 in credit when in fact the account was £38,847 in overdraft.”

Following the brief arraignment, prosecuting counsel Ian Tannahill and defence counsel Seamus Lannon suggested that a trial date could be set with a review of the case in the next couple of weeks.

Mr Tannahill told Judge Patrick McGurgan “I will be taking instructions on those pleas” to ascertain whether a trial will be necessary, adding that he will be consulting with the church’s representatives because “it’s their money and their parish”.

Freeing Ellis on bail, Judge McGurgan said he would review the case on November 22 and he scheduled a standby trial for two days on December 12.