News by email Donate

Suggestions

Liverpool-Crown-Court-main_article_image.jpg
Wikimedia commons / John Bradley
UK News

Vicar who stole more than 100k for 'books and alcohol' walks free

Michael Fry, 57, hid the real number of funerals he conducted from the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool in order to fund his drinking habit between 2006 and 2013.

The clergyman was allowed to retain a portion of fees from funeral directors to offset against his annual £22,500 stipend.

He told the diocese he conducted around 20 funerals a year rather than 100 in order to keep the full portion of funeral fees for himself.

Fry pleaded guilty to eight counts of theft totalling £107,673 at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Wikimedia Commons

Fry was a Chaplin at Liverpool Women's Hospital until 2014

Martine Snowdon, defending, said her client was "deeply remorseful".

She said: "He fully accepts that he has failed his peers and the wider society in failing to account as scrupulously as he could have done and allowed himself to be enriched."

She said testimonials to the court showed he had provided "unquantifiable benefits" to those he had helped in the community over decades.

Fry turned to alcohol after he suffered depression when his parents died and his "emotional resources were stretched too far" she said.

Sentencing, Judge Elizabeth Nicholls told Fry: "Putting aside the money issues, you are undoubtedly a very caring, compassionate individual.

"I take the view that there comes a time in a man's life when you are entitled to say 'measure the good I have done against the harm I have done'.

"I have no doubt the good you have done in the community, and continue to do, outweighs the harm you have done."

News you can believe in. Stand with Premier Christian News today.

Your gift today ensures that Premier Christian News can press forward in strength, reaching more people with biblical truth and shaping the future of Christian thought. It’s more than just a donation—it’s an investment in renewed minds and transformed lives. 

Without continued support, the ability to create and distribute resources that strengthen faith and equip the church will be compromised. But with your help, we can grow deeper, stand firmer, and shine brighter in the culture.

Your support today is critical.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate