Volunteer treasurer jailed for stealing from cancer charity

Friday 3rd February, 2023

A treasurer who stole more than £100,000 of other people’s charity donations to fund his own lifestyle has been jailed.

A police investigation started in May 2021 following a report that money raised and pledged to Cancer Research UK (CRUK) through Clacton’s Relay for Life, had not been submitted between 2018 and 2019.

He volunteered as the treasurer at Clacton’s Relay for Life a small community team run by volunteers, dedicated to raising money for CRUK.

The investigation found that over a period of several years, he defrauded the charity of more than £100,000 of donations, raised by selfless volunteers through community activities such as sponsored car washes, charity auctions and races.

When asked to account for the loss of donations, he submitted forged documents to the charity. During questioning by our officers, he defended his actions by saying that amounts may have been incorrect due to stress.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Joanna Barnes, of SECU, said after the case: “It’s unfathomable how anyone could try and justify using charity donations given in good faith to fund their own lifestyle and heart-breaking to think about the positive ways this money could have been used if it had reached the charity.

“The vast majority of team members for Clacton’s Relay for Life give up their own time and money to organise events. They work incredibly hard to raise money for a charity that funds lifesaving research for a disease that touches so many people’s lives.”

He was jailed for 40 months at Chelmsford Crown Court.