Volunteers and workers on a helpline set up to help Keighley gay people have resigned.

The move comes after the Keighley-based chairman and committee members of the OUTline organisation complained to police about alleged irregularities in the activities of Steven Paul Taylor, also known as Simon Thorpe.

Mr Taylor, 23, of Raistrick Way, Shipley, and formerly of Garden Lane, Heaton, Brad-ford, is secretary/service manager of OUTline, a helpline set up to help Keighley's 5,000 gay men and women. It also provides free information on a range of issues for the town's gay and bisexual men.

Workers on the helpline have alleged that Taylor has:

run up debts of around £20,000

signed cheques and purchased goods knowing there were no funds to cover them

leased a Rover car knowing funds were not available to pay for it

told them he has left a trail of debt across the country believed to be in the region of £150,000

Using the name of Simon Thorpe, Taylor told the Keighley News in January that he was the man behind the new 24-hour helpline.

The locally-based OUTline officials, who prefers to remain anonymous, confirms the organising committee has resigned and volunteer helpers have gone too. "Ten committee members have resigned and at least 12 volunteers have been dismissed," he says. "We have all been misled."

A police spokesman says: "Complaints have been made to Bradford Central Police Station and inquiries are being made."

The Keighley News spoke to Steven Taylor who told us that OUTline had now closed.

He admitted he had signed cheques knowing there were no funds to cover them. He says that he ordered goods but arrangements were made for suppliers to make deferred payments while funds were received.

He also admitted leasing the car but again says that was on a deferred payment arrangement.

He accepted responsibility for all OUTline's debts although he was not prepared to say how much is owed.

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