By Philip Dewey
Louise McGrath, also known as Louise Sweeney, 49, defrauded the Wales Council for Deaf People out of £25,000 while serving as the charity’s chief executive. The former employee, who had been with the organization for a decade, used forged signatures and fraudulent payments to steal funds between January 2019 and August 2022.
The deception came to light when charity trustee Geoff Moses received an email regarding a loan he supposedly signed off, which he denied. Upon investigation, McGrath admitted to taking out loans without permission, including one for £6,000 in 2019 and two others totaling nearly £15,000 in the following years.
An internal inquiry revealed that McGrath had used a contractor’s name to transfer money to her Monzo account, totaling £3,700. Despite initially maintaining her innocence, she later attempted to persuade a finance manager to lie on her behalf.
Pleading guilty to one count of fraud, McGrath faced significant backlash for her actions, which adversely affected the charity’s operations and trust. In a victim impact statement, Moses expressed the profound disappointment and disruption caused by her actions, noting that the deaf community was the primary victim of her deceit.
During sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams emphasized the breach of trust and the damage to the charity’s reputation. McGrath was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, and required to complete 250 hours of unpaid work along with a rehabilitation program. She expressed remorse, citing financial hardship following her marriage breakdown as a motive for her crimes.
