Woman jailed after fraudulently taking cancer charity cash worth £95,000

The 61-year-old, from Aberfoyle in Stirlingshire, was sentenced at Falkirk Sheriff Court after she admitted two charges of being involved in a fraudulent scheme over 10 years between 2011 and 2021.

She will now be the subject of confiscation action under proceeds of crime legislation to recover the money that was illegally gained.

The court was told how between 1995 and 2012 MacCallum was a fund-raising manager for the Anthony Nolan charity and her job allowed her to carry out transactions provided any cheques were countersigned by one of two office-bears.

By 2007, the two signatories had left the group but the account for Aberfoyle Friends of Anthony Nolan remained open and MacCallum was made redundant in 2012 but continued to take funds by forging signatures.

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The court was then told that between July 2011 and September 2016, eight unauthorised cheque payments signed by MacCallum and at least one of the co-signatories worth a total of £9,505 were debited from the charity’s account.

The former co-signatories confirmed to police that their signatures had been forged and said they recognised MacCallum’s handwriting.

In July 2012, MacCallum was then employed as a paid project development manager when her friend Angela MacVicar, who lost her daughter Johanna to leukaemia in 2005 aged 27, set up the Rainbow Valley charity.

They worked together for several years before their relationship deteriorated and MacCallum stepped down from her role with the charity.

In August that year, a review of Rainbow Valley’s accounts by charity officials revealed several unaccounted-for-transactions linked to the charity’s annual ball.

After being asked for an explanation, MacCallum admitted stealing money from the charity and said in a Facebook post: “I’ve let everybody down. I’m so sorry.”

The court heard that between 2013 and 2021 MacCallum deposited £48,027 into two personal bank accounts, £5,045 into a joint account with her husband and £1,670 into accounts for her grown-up children.

She was also revealed to have spent £21,056 on a credit card as well as £4,210 on products from Next.

Helen Nisbet, Procurator Fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, said: “This was a shocking betrayal of trust by someone who had financial oversight of funds from two cancer charities.

“I am sure people will be appalled that charity donations given in good faith and intended to benefit some of those affected by cancer have been stolen to fund McCallum’s lifestyle.

“It is vital that the public have confidence that the money they raise and donate to charity goes to those for whom it was intended.

“The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is committed to tackling financial crime of this kind.”