Parish priest caught stealing £200 from the collection is spared jail

A disgraced parish priest, who stole £200 from his church's Sunday collection, received a suspended prison sentence on Tuesday.

Father Fortunato Pantisano, 44, fought the charge and still maintains his innocence, but now faces being booted out of the Roman Catholic church.

The Italian-born priest, who was ordained at Westminster Cathedral in 2013, was based at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Tynemouth Street, Fulham, in west London.

District Judge Daniel Sternberg told him: 'You were identified by CCTV entering a locked office at the church, where you had been working and took two plates of money that had been collected.'

He added: 'No credit can be given to you for any kind of admission and you continue not admitting to these offences today.

'You told the author of your pre-sentence report that you were entitled to this money and plainly the trial court decided you were not entitled to that money.'

Father Pantisano received twenty weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years and was ordered to pay £200 compensation to the church, £654 costs and a £154 victim surcharge.

He was forced to move to accommodation at St. Edward's Convent, Harewood Avenue, Marylebone while on bail and was convicted of stealing the money from Our Lady of Perpetual Help on January 7.

Judge Sternberg told the priest: 'This is an offence of high culpability as you were a person with a high degree of trust, a high position as a minister of religion and you abused that trust.'

He continued: 'This offence is very serious, but you do have a strong prospect of rehabilitation and there is some personal mitigation.

'You have no previous convictions and were of good character and positive good character through your role in the church and you will no longer be able to continue your vocation as a minister of religion.

'This offence is so serious the custody threshold is crossed.'

Father Pantisano's lawyer Tony Meisels said: 'Obviously, Father Pantisano has lost his good character. This is his first criminal conviction and he has lost a lot due to this situation.

'He was on a sabbatical and was paid last month, but does not know if he will be paid this month while they decide what to do within the Roman Catholic church.

'He has a meeting tomorrow with the Vicar General, where the church lies and I think it is fair to say he will not be able to practice again in the Roman Catholic church and may face canonical proceedings.

'He has been an employee of the church for twenty-four years. It is his life.'

Prosecutor Connie Wong told Westminster Magistrates Court today that it was after the second mass of Sunday, January 7 that Father Pantisano was caught on internal CCTV entering the office adjoined to his church accommodation.

She said: 'He was a priest of the church, but was suspended from service at the time and went to two plates and left the room.

'The total amount of cash stolen was estimated at £200.'

The trial heard the priest was reported to police by parish volunteer John McGranaghan, who had placed the two wicker baskets in a locked office, which could also be accessed from the priest's house.

He told the trial: 'This was the collection from the parishioners for the two masses that morning.

'We went back to count the offertory and there were two empty baskets and the collection had gone.'

He suggested collection money had been going missing at the church recently.

Mr McGranaghan said: 'Because of what had been happening in the previous weeks, I decided to go back to count the money that day.'

Fortunately, CCTV in the office showed Father Pantisano enter via an adjoining door, remove the two baskets containing cash from the room, then return them empty.

The Diocese of Westminster Director of Resources, Robert Walker, told the court there are strict rules regarding the cash collections and individual priests cannot simply help themselves to the money.

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Regarding the CCTV, he said: 'Basically I see the money going from one hand to the other and it is taken without authorisation.

'He is taking individual notes from the baskets and leaves with the money.

'There is no reason for him to be in there at that time, particularly as he was suspended.'

Father Pantisano was arrested on April 30 and gave a 'no comment' interview at Hammersmith Police Station.

He told the trial that he was not suspended and was entitled to be in the office, but could not recall if he had taken any of the collection money.

He said: 'I do not remember taking any money. If I did, it was not my intention to be dishonest, it was to buy food maybe, I don't remember.

'Sometimes there are emergencies like homeless needing money or charities or the priests need to buy food.'

Trial prosecutor Nathan Paine-Davey asked the priest: 'It is not credible to say you do not remember taking the money, is it? It is what has brought you here today.

'You have gone into that office by unlocking the door from your side and taken that money. That's the truth, isn't it?'

Father Pantisano replied: 'I am the parish priest and I have a right to be there. The money is given for the priests to decide what to do.

'I deny stealing and I have no other comment.'

Mr Paine-Davey told the magistrates: 'The defendant cannot tell you why he had his hands in the baskets and took them out of view. That is not credible.

'The purpose of removing the baskets was to steal money out of sight of the CCTV and only today we hear this vague, rambling account of what happened.

'You just can't put your hand in a collection basket. That is dishonesty.'

The trial magistrates told Father Pantisano he had no credibility whatsoever in the witness box and his evidence had assisted the prosecution case against him.

In his impact statement, Mr Walker said: 'This has caused an incredible amount of mistrust between the church and the parishioners. It only takes one person to do something wrong to ruin the reputation of the rest.'

The court heard Father Pantisano's parents, aged 75 and 73 years-old, still reside in his native Calabria and he has a brother in Milan and another in France.

Mr Meisels explained: 'He has got some medical issues, anxiety and depression.

'He has been living at a convent, but due to the publicity of this case has been told he cannot live there.'

The priests' mental health has been negatively effected since an allegation, not disclosed, was made against him in 2018 when he was a parish priest north of London, the court heard.

Mr Meisels added: 'He has not properly come to terms with the offending and there is a degree of denial in the report and he is keen to put this behind him and move on with his life.

The lawyer argued the offence was not at the top end of breaches of trust.

He said: 'I appreciate he was a priest in a church, but the highest culpability is for those in a much higher position, with a higher degree of trust than a priest in a small church with a small amount of money...

'He has really lost a lot. His position, income, career. He has lost a lot already and whatever punishment he gets today will only cap it.' 

Community service was not a sentencing option because Father Pantisano does not intend on remaining in the UK.