Ousted Northern Ireland water boss stole from church 29 years ago

Ousted Northern Ireland Water chief Laurence MacKenzie was convicted of embezzling £2,000 at his church in the Highlands, almost 30 years ago, it emerged yesterday.

Mr MacKenzie, 49, lost his 250,000-a-year job as head of the state-owned water company in the aftermath of the leaks fiasco which left tens of thousands of homes in Northern Ireland without water over Christmas and the New Year.

He stole the money from West Kirk church in Thurso, Caithness, while a junior teller with the Bank of Scotland.

A spokesman for the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh said yesterday: "We can confirm that, following an investigation, Mr MacKenzie was convicted and removed from his post as treasurer in 1982."

He was convicted of embezzling 2,000 by a court. He was not sent to prison. Mr MacKenzie became chief executive of NIW in June 2009 after several years heading Northern Ireland Electricity.

A spokesman for NIW said: "We are making no comment."

Mr MacKenzie resigned last week after 40,000 households were left without water over the festive period. The episode was triggered after a deep freeze over Christmas ended with a rapid thaw, leading to thousands of burst pipes.