A CHURCH treasurer who gambled away £32,000 of the funds has been jailed for 16 months.

David Peach-Miles, 37, of Hills View, Newent, admitted defrauding Ruardean Parochial Church Council of £32,120 between March 2015 and February this year.

Prosecutor Katy Flint said Peach-Miles, who had ambitions to become a priest, took over as treasurer in March last year. He was not a signatory of the church’s cheque books but he had full access to its current and savings accounts on line.

He started plundering the funds within weeks of becoming treasurer - withdrawing £2,000 on April 13 2015. He described the withdrawals as being for loan payments or flowers.

"There were numerous withdrawals over a 10 months period," said the prosecutor.

"The payments all went into an account held in the name of his wife.

"The deficit in the church accounts was only discovered when a number of payments did not clear due to insufficient funds.”

The court heard that the church’s previous treasurer was called in to make enquiries in February this year.

When confronted by the Rector, Peach-Miles immediately admitted he had taken the money and told Revd Nick Bromfield that it was to fund a gambling habit.

Judge Michael Cullum said: "Your fall from grace is significant. You were an active member of that community and you were training to be a minister yourself.

"It is unsurprising that elements of the community find it difficult to forgive."