Woman avoids jail after defrauding a Bluntisham primary school charity out of nearly £30k

A woman has been sentenced for deceiving a primary school charity out of over £26,000 through fraudulent transactions and false accounting.

Stephanie Delaney, 38, became treasurer of the registered charity at St Helen’s Primary School in Bluntisham in September 2020, responsible for overseeing finances and paying invoices for events.

Concerns arose in June 2023 when committee members detected suspicious outgoing transactions from the charity's account to Delaney’s and the Somersham Carnival account, prompting a police investigation.

Findings revealed Delaney had siphoned funds from both the Somersham Carnival Committee account and the Friends of St Helen’s Primary School (FOSH) account for personal use since February 2019, without committee knowledge or approval.

To conceal her actions, she presented false financial information to fellow committee members.

Initially, Delaney attempted to justify the transactions as confusion in handling funds between charity accounts and her own but later admitted guilt to charges of fraud by abuse of position and false accounting.

Delaney, from Homestead, Somersham, Huntingdon, received a suspended sentence of 18 months for 24 months at Huntingdon Law Courts on 7th May.

Detective Constable Rachel Brown, who investigated the case, remarked, "Delaney’s dishonesty and fraudulent actions are nothing short of shocking. To deprive local charities and committees of funds designed to help their local communities, including children, is despicable."

Brown reiterated the force’s commitment, stating, "Fraud is a priority area for the force and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders before the courts."

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