A Serious Breach of Trust

[Guest JCS]

I have written this article not just to expose a liar and a thief, but to serve as an object lesson to all RSC's. I trust none of them will have a similar experience to that of the Cresta Loyal RSC.

 

Brian Walker sat forlorn and friendless on the front benches of Court No. 9 in Belfast's Laganside Magistrates Court. Looking anxious and worried, he was a lonely, isolated figure with only his indifferent and impatient solicitor to offer him cursory support.As I watched him wring his hands nervously, and rub the sweat from his brow in anticipation of his case being called, I couldn't help but think that this is a man who has blighted the remainder of his life and alienated every friend he ever had. Who will ever trust him; who will want him as a friend or wish to be in his company. Who will ever offer him a job now that he has a criminal record?

 

Brian Walker is a man guilty of one of the gravest crimes a person can commit – he has stolen from his friends and betrayed their trust. He has stolen £4,195 from them, lied to them, cheated them and sold his soul for money. He has robbed his friends, many of whom he has known for over 20 years, and is now a pariah; a man with no moral standards; the lowest of the low. Brian Walker is now a convicted thief!

 

Brian Walker was the Treasurer of the Belfast based Cresta Loyal Rangers Supporters Club, and a valued friend to whom the club members willingly gave their hard earned cash thinking that their money was being safely deposited in the club bank account, but instead he was pocketing their money to feed his mounting debts. It didn’t matter to him that he was stealing from his friends; he gave no thought to the many happy times he had shared with them; it didn’t seem to matter that he was considered a trusted friend and confidant – to Brian Walker his friends, and fellow club members, were an easy target, an easy touch, and a ready source of money to feed his avarice and greed.

 

Like most thieves, however, he didn’t give himself up to the police voluntarily. When several cheques ‘bounced’ and club officials became suspicious about his unusual behaviour and evasive answers, they made enquiries of their bank, only to discover that there were no funds in the account. In the meantime Walker had simply went to ground and, in spite of the best efforts of club members to track him down, it was several days before he was cornered by a club member who spotted him on Belfast’s Holywood Road and detained him until the new club Treasurer arrived to take charge.

 

Once the club ‘books’ had been obtained, the extent of Brian Walker’s theft and betrayal became clear. Over a period of months, he had stolen £4,195 belonging to the Cresta RSC and its members, leaving the club in a perilous financial position. Never in the 25 year history of the club had it suffered such a calamity – never had a member betrayed them in such a dishonest and criminal way.

 

Brian Walker was subsequently escorted to the local police station by club officials, where he made a full and frank confession that he had stolen £4,195 belonging to the Cresta RSC, and on Thursday, 8 June 2012 his despicable betrayal was laid bare in front of a packed courtroom at Laganside Magistrates Court in Belfast.

 

Although the Magistrate was severe in his criticism of Walker’s actions, calling them a ‘serious breach of trust’ and acknowledging that the offence was one for which ‘a custodial sentence’ would normally be the result, he agreed to give him time to repay the club and adjourned the case for 6 months, until Thursday, 2 May 2013, in the expectation that he would make substantial reparations in the interim period. In closing, the Magistrate reminded him that his ‘liberty is very much at issue’, and emphasised the requirement for a substantial payment to the club in order to keep himself out of prison.

 

Not surprisingly, nothing was heard from Walker until just before the reconvened hearing last week, when the new club Treasurer received a hand written letter from him expressing his regret about the theft, offering a half-hearted and belated apology, and proposing an arrangement to make an unspecified monthly payment to the club. Arriving, as it did, just two weeks before the reconvened court hearing the club was understandably cynical about, what they considered to be, his blatant attempt to influence the magistrate.

 

The court hearing was reconvened on Thursday, 2 May 2013 as scheduled, and following some submissions by his solicitor, the Magistrate asked Walker if he had repaid any of the money he had stolen from the club. His answer was, of course, no. He was heavily in debt and on benefits said his solicitor – it would simply be impractical for Mr. Walker to repay in these circumstances he asserted. Eventually, his solicitor conceded that he might be able to pay back a small sum on a regular basis, and when the magistrate enquired as to what that ‘small sum’ might be, it transpired that the amount was negligible. Whilst the club representatives in court were unable to hear the exchanges between Walker’s solicitor and the magistrate, they understood the offer to be in the region of £17 per month.

 

If the offer was, indeed, £17 per month, it would take 247 months to repay the debt – well over 20 years! The club’s representatives in court were dumbfounded; surely the magistrate wouldn’t – couldn’t – accept such an arrangement. Walker had made no effort to make any payment during the six months that his case had been adjourned, and had defaulted on the magistrates demand that he make some recompense before his hearing was reconvened. Surely such cynicism would not be tolerated – surely the magistrate would order the custodial sentence he had warned of at the initial hearing? But that was not to be and, following some further cautionary comments from the Magistrate, Brian Walker was given a SUSPENDED sentence and ordered to ‘make restitution’ to the Cresta Rangers Supporters Club in the sum of £1,000.

 

No prison sentence and no guarantee that he’ll ever pay the £1000 that he’s been ordered to. Oh, and by the way, don’t be concerned about the remaining £3,195 that you have stolen from the Cresta RSC – you need no longer worry about that! Incredible, incomprehensible and utterly demoralising!

 

Outside the courtroom, Brian Walker stood in earnest conversation with his solicitor, smiling from time to time as his ‘brief’ shared some humorous remark with him. He wasn’t sweating any longer, and his nervousness had vanished entirely. As he and his solicitor parted, Brian Walker turned away, content; safe in the knowledge that he had just avoided a spell in HM Prison Maghaberry.

 

And who says that crime doesn’t pay!

 

This story is told – not simply to expose the betrayal and theft of a trusted friend – but as a cautionary tale for other Rangers Supporters Clubs. The Cresta RSC does not wish to see any of its sister clubs suffer a similar calamity.

 

http://www.rangersmedia.co.uk/?p=314

Edited May 10, 2013 by Zappa

[the gunslinger 3,366]

debt does funny things to people.

[Stimpy 0]

I remember Cresta's chairman telling me this. Very sad.

 

Cresta's an excellent club and worked very hard to replace the money stolen.

[Zappa 0]

JCS, I've posted the full article in your OP because we ask that anyone posting articles from anywhere does so. Links to other Gers sites are absolutely fine, but we always ask for full articles to be posted too and there's no exceptions. I hope that's cool.

[Guest JCS]

JCS, I've posted the full article in your OP because we ask that anyone posting articles from anywhere does so. Links to other Gers sites are absolutely fine, but we always ask for full articles to be posted too and there's no exceptions. I hope that's cool.

 

Sorry Zappa, wasn't aware of that. I'll conform....I promise. Consider my wrist well and truly slapped!

[Zappa 0]

Sorry Zappa, wasn't aware of that. I'll conform....I promise. Consider my wrist well and truly slapped!

 

Lol, I did sound serious, but it's not that big a deal and I was wrong too because there are indeed exceptions, such as the "The Man The BHEASTS Can't Tame" thread with a link to a blog article which would be too big to fit into a post.

[DUDE 0]

That sucks.

[bluebear54 0]

For what it's worth, I'll put in my tuppence worth.

First of all I don't think it's bright to air your linen in public. Particularly when you're the most successful Club in the history of football and your neighbour is the most paranoid, misguided and offended institution in the history of the game.

I would have thought that he would be happy to redeem himself by "community service" without this messy high profile nonsense.

Four and a half grand is quickly recovered by painting, gardening etc.

There again, I don't know the background.

[54andcounting 0]

He's a thief, so painting and gardening probably wouldn't appeal to him.

 

What he could do is break into a celtic shop steal 20k worth of goods flog it for the above debt pay it off get caught and do time for that theft.

 

That would redeem him.

[DUDE 0]

C'mon you can't ask anybody to step into a Celtic shop, that is way over the line even for a convicted thief.