article: John Howard, 66, bled the Overseas Press and Media Association dry over two years - leaving the company facing bankruptcy . The treasurer of a voluntary organisation drained £90,000 from the group's account - spending thousands on restaurant meals and trips to France. John Howard, 66, from Canterbury, Kent, had been a member of the Overseas Press and Media Association for 30 years but began stealing funds two years ago, leaving the company facing bankruptcy. The father-of-three had sole access to the non-profit organisation's account and enjoyed dining alone on several £300 meals a month and also spent money on flowers, a court heard. His fraud was only uncovered after the association had problems paying its creditors and Howard started to dodge emails and phone calls. He was jailed for two and a half years and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to a former colleague as he left the dock at Canterbury Crown Court. Prosecutor Tony Prosser said Howard secretly sacked auditors and then presented the association with fake accounts each month. Between 2011 to 2013 he freely dipped into the money and lavished cash on himself and his family. When his crime came to light just £180 was left in the association's savings account when it should have been nearly £80,000. Howard rang a fellow member from a pay phone admitting the fraud and offering to repay £20,000. Mr Prosser said police found he had blown thousands on meals, groceries, flowers, expenditure in France, hotels and even sending money to his wife. Howard, who admitted fraud by breach of trust, claimed he only took £67,000 and had now put his home up for sale in a bid to repay some of the money. Dominic Webber, defending, said Howard got into debt and used the money to pay bills and was 'extremely sorry for what he has done.' Matt Findel-Hawkins, a former OPMA president, said: 'It wasn't like he was paying off debts to some evil Shylock figure. This was blatant, categorical deceit over time. His fraud was only uncovered after OPMA had problems paying its creditors and Howard started to dodge emails and phone calls. The non-profit trade association services the international advertising community . 'At the same time he would sit there in meetings, smiling at us.' Mr Findel-Hawkins, sales director for Nikkei Europe, said Howard had been a member of the non-profit organisation for 30 years. He said: 'We'd have meetings and all go to lunch. He was a steady guy with a nice sense of humour. 'That's why he was our treasurer. We've been trying to work out what went wrong. If I ever spoke to him again, I'd just want to know why he did it.' Sentencing, Judge Simon James told Howard his victim was a not-for-profit organisation which had been operating for more than 80 years. 'Under your three-year tenure as treasurer - in which you seemed to treat its bank account as your own - they were left close to bankruptcy and perilously close to folding,' he said. 'Your good name has now been well and truly lost. This was a systematic, prolonged and flagrant piece of dishonesty. Howard was jailed for two and a half years and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to a former colleague as he left the dock at Canterbury Crown Court today . 'It seems to me the money was used to fund a comfortable living for you and your family rather than out of real desperation.' Detective Constable Barry Carr described it as a 'serious abuse of position' and said Howard had shown a 'flagrant disregard for the trust and responsibility placed in him'. He added that his deceit had nearly brought the long-established organisation to its knees financially. The OPMA is a non-profit trade association servicing the international advertising community, run voluntarily by its members.
highlights: John Howard, 66, took cash from Overseas Press and Media Association .
  He had been a member for 30 years but left company facing bankruptcy .
  Father-of-three enjoyed monthly £300 meals and sent money to his wife .
  Howard was jailed for two and a half years at Canterbury Crown Court .
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