Former Dogs' Home boss admits £640,000 fraud

The former boss of a dogs' home has admitted defrauding the charity of £640,000 over a period of more than four years.

Simon Price, who was chief executive of Birmingham Dogs' Home, entered guilty pleas to 10 counts of fraud by abuse of position.

The offences all happened between February 2012 and June 2016.

Price, 53, denied another charge of fraud in connection with an allegation he raised a false invoice, and pleaded not guilty to moving £914,538.12 in criminal property between bank accounts from 2012 until July 2016.

During a Birmingham Magistrates' Court hearing on Wednesday, Price appeared in the dock next to his wife Alayna Price, who is facing separate offences in relation to her former role as the home's fund-raising head and commercial manager.

The 38-year-old denied six charges of fraud by abuse of her position between March 2014 and October last year, and another of transferring cash between bank accounts.

District judge Jan Jellema told the couple, both of Somerton Drive, MarstonGreen, Solihull, West Midlands, they would next appear at Birmingham Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on November 29.

The judge told Simon Price he was being sent to the crown court because the lower court's powers of punishment were "not sufficient".