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SHAME OF £600K TOWN HALL THIEF
Double life of trusted finance chief revealed by CNJ
A TRUSTED council finance chief who abused his position to steal money from Camden’s most vulnerable residents owns a second home in the Caribbean, the New Journal can reveal.
John Baptiste, 57, was told on Friday that he faces an “inevitable” prison sentence after confessing to stealing more than £600,000 from the accounts of people unable to look after their own financial affairs. Some of his victims suffered from dementia and had no clue that their money was mysteriously vanishing.
The New Journal – the only newspaper in court as he admitted four charges of theft – reveals today how:
• Baptiste owns a second home on the tropical island of Grenada.
• He demanded a salary from the Town Hall for the time he was suspended, forcing the matter to an unprecedented employment tribunal.
• He has called on a vicar to stand up for him in court before his sentence is handed down.
• His scam went undetected at the Town Hall for six years after he was given a position of complete trust.
A hard-working, church-going family man on the surface, Baptiste declined all requests for an interview this week as his secret double life was unravelled. He will be sentenced in March. > more |
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Tributes to outgoing Torquil
Leading arts figures hail man who saved Roundhouse as he steps down
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Garden flats plan back down - JUBILANT residents in an exclusive Hampstead enclave were celebrating this week after plans to build a four-story block of flats in... > more
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Girls prove they’re tops - CAMDEN saw record results at GCSE and outstanding success for one single-sex secondary in 2006 – though less than half the borough’s... > more
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