A former long-term committee member of the Lawrence Rugby Football Club has admitted failing to account for money from firewood sold as a club fundraiser in 2009 and 2010.
Ross Douglas Young, 49, appeared in the Dunedin District Court last week and pleaded guilty to one charge of theft by a person in a special relationship.
He was convicted by Judge Michael Crosbie and remanded for sentence on May 7.
The summary of facts from Crown counsel Robin Bates said Young volunteered to organise the felling, splitting and sale of a large number of fully grown pine and gum trees donated to the club on October 7, 2009. Young calculated the club would receive about $40,000 after expenses.
The club committee told him to keep records and receipts for all transactions relating to the firewood sales and to bank any proceeds into the club's bank account. In monthly committee meetings after October 2009, the committee became concerned the club had received little income from the firewood compared with the expenses being incurred, Mr Bates told the court.
Young was questioned about the discrepancies and said he had lost his account book. But he did not start a new account book once he knew the original was missing, although he said he was "on schedule'' with selling the firewood and making a profit for the club.
Over the following months, he continued to split and sell the firewood, with help from club players and others. He also continued paying expenses without the committee's consent and failed to bank the proceeds of cash sales.
On July 29, 2010, he advised a committee meeting the costs of the sales at the time were $47,000, while the firewood sold to date had brought $43,000. He estimated there was $22,000 of wood left to sell and tabled a cash sales document indicating a profit of $22,100.
Because of the major discrepancies in relation to the firewood fundraising, Young, who had been a committee member for about 17 years, was expelled from the club on August 26, 2010.
An accounting firm reconciled the income and expenses for the firewood and reported a net loss of $23,615.08, compared with the estimated profit of $40,000, Mr Bates said.
When police spoke to Young, he admitted losing the account book and not keeping records of the sales of the firewood.
Reparation of $6915 was sought.
