A Zimbabwean-born priest has been expelled from the United Reformed Church (URC) in the United Kingdom after confessing to fraudulently pocketing more than £23,000 in church-related allowances over a span of 12 years.
According to Premier Christian News, 59-year-old Reverend Naison Hove appeared before Wood Green Crown Court, where he was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence. The court was told that Hove had submitted 13 falsified claims, which included expenses such as his children’s school uniforms, even though his household earnings were far above the eligibility threshold for such support.
Hove, who was ordained in 2001, ministered to congregations in London and Sussex until his suspension in 2022. Following an internal investigation by the URC, which exposed over £23,000 in financial misconduct, he was officially removed from ministry in January this year.
In his defence, Hove’s legal team argued that he was driven by feelings of shame and societal pressure to live up to traditional expectations of being a provider, believing he was failing to adequately support his wife.