A CHARITY chairman spent £72,000 intended for toys for special needs children to pay his debts, it has been alleged Peter Vogwell was a gambler and he took money from the registered charity, set up by his mother, and used it keep himself afloat financially, claimed Anne Whyte, prosecuting.

Vogwell, 46, who was the chairman of Wirral Resource Centre and Toy Library, which lends therapeutic toys and equipment, denies 52 charges of obtaining money by deception.

Miss Whyte, prosecuting, told a jury at Liverpool Crown Court: "This is about the theft of £72,000 from a charity for disabled children by its chairman - a man who presents himself as a solidly respectable pillar of his prosperous community.

"The reality is different. Underneath the affable, trustworthy, competent veneer there is a gambler, juggling his debts, keeping himself afloat with timely and sneaky, disguised payments from the charity to himself."

Vogwell's mother Margaret founded the charity in 1968.

He was involved in the charity for many years and he became its chairman between 1994 and 2003.

He handled the income and expenditure, maintaining financial records and was a signatory for its bank account. Miss Whyte told the court while Vogwell, of Poll Hill Road, Heswall, was away in July 2003, a financial crisis arose when there was not enough money to pay the few staff members their small amounts of wages.

An accountant investigated the problem and it was discovered that some cheques written from the charity had been paid to Vogwell personally and a police investigation began.

Miss Whyte said Vogwell destroyed cheque stubs so the charity would think money had been paid out to suppliers.

The court heard when Vogwell was arrested he told detectives he did not understand about finances, and accepted the 52 items listed in the charity's cash book were paid into his own account, but he denied doing this dishonestly.

He claimed that over the years he had topped up the charity's shortfalls to the tune of £26,000 and that any discrepancies reflected repayments to himself.

Miss Whyte told the jury Vogwell had been seriously in debt and had to provide for a large family. From 2000 he had no obvious source of income and numerous credit cards. "He needed to skim off the charity to juggle his levels of debt," claimed Miss Whyte.

He spent the charity money on his own household bills, she added.

The case continues.