London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

‘More air miles than Alan Whicker’: ex-church official in £5m fraud trial

‘More air miles than Alan Whicker’: ex-church official in £5m fraud trial

Martin Sargeant, former operations manager at the diocese of London, is accused of fraud and money laundering
A former Church of England official charged with defrauding a charity of more than £5m has been accused of clocking up more flights than Alan Whicker, the late globetrotting broadcaster.

Martin Sargeant, 52, who was operations manager for the diocese of London from 2008 until August 2019, when he retired, and clerk of the City church grants committee, is accused of defrauding the charitable trust of about £5.2m over 10 years.

He is also charged with money laundering after he allegedly spent the money intended for the trust, set up in 1891 to fund the restoration of churches, on gambling and more than 180 British Airways flights.

His alleged jet-setting prompted a comparison to Whicker, who presented Whicker’s World, which ran from 1958 to 1994, first on BBC and later on ITV.

Whicker, who won two Baftas and was given a CBE for his services to broadcasting before his death in 2013, reported on stories around the world, including interviewing the Haitian dictator François Duvalier and the American billionaire John Paul Getty.

Malachy Pakenham, prosecuting, described Sargeant’s alleged activities as “quite an achievement”, telling Westminster magistrates court: “I should imagine even Alan Whicker in his day wouldn’t have clocked up as many flights as this defendant did over this period.”

Sargeant appeared in the dock on Friday, where he spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address in Dudley, West Midlands. He did not give any indication of his plea when charges of fraud by abuse of position and money laundering were put to him.

The charge of fraud alleges Sargeant abused his position as operations manager to gain the sum between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2019.

He is accused of fraudulently requesting funding grants for dysfunctional churches to steal the money by transferring it through church bank accounts that he controlled through work.

It is alleged the money was subsequently put into accounts under his name that he controlled and then spent. Pakenham said he used the money on “personal entertainment or frivolous things like gambling”.

It was decided the charges were too serious to be handled in a magistrates court and that it would be sent to Southwark crown court where Sargeant is due to appear on 2 September.

He was granted bail on condition that he does not leave the UK, lives at his address and refrains from contacting any diocese of London employees.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×