Campaigner could face jail for £5,000 dog charity fraud

A WOMAN who admitted abusing her position at a dog welfare charity to defraud it of more than £5,000 has been warned she could be jailed.

Adrianne Peltz has pleaded guilty to using a Dogs Trust credit card for personal expenditures.

At Ballymena Magistrates Court yesterday, District Judge Nigel Broderick adjourned sentencing. He said that as the defendant’s “liberty” was at risk, he wanted medical reports regarding her health.

The judge also wanted to hear how the offending has impacted on the Dogs Trust.

The ‘fraud by abuse of position’ charge admitted by Peltz (34), of Beatrice Road, Bangor, Co Down, relates to dates between April 10 and October 12, 2017. The charge reads she “dishonestly abused” her position by using a company credit card for personal expenditures. The sum of money involved was £5,393.

A pre-sentence report had been prepared on Peltz and Judge Broderick said she had been described as a carer for her mother and the report also made reference to the defendant’s daughter.

The judge said he would like to see medical evidence as there were “significant health issues” and he wanted a report regarding the impact on the defendant’s “mental health if she receives an immediate custodial sentence”.

Defence barrister Stephen Law said restitution to the Dogs Trust was a “live issue”.

The full details of the case have yet to be outlined to the court. Sentencing was adjourned until next month.

Previous press statements from the Dogs Trust said Peltz was the charity’s Campaigns Manager for Northern Ireland.

Peltz recently resigned from the board of trustees at Victim Support NI, a charity supporting people affected by crime. She told the BBC “it was the fair and right thing to do for a charity that does such good work”.

She has also resigned from her role as regional co-ordinator of Politics Plus, which provides support to MLAs at Stormont.

The defendant is originally from South Africa but has lived in NI for a number of years.

She was a campaigner for Amnesty International in NI and has also frequently appeared as a media commentator.

Adrianne Peltz has been warned that her liberty is at risk