Greedy daughter, 28, set up fake fundraiser for her dead mum’s funeral… then KEPT cash donated by more than 40 mourners
A GREEDY daughter set up a fake fundraiser for her dead mum’s funeral, then kept the donated cash for herself.
Danielle Kelly, 28, from Staffordshire, made a GoFundMe page for her mums funeral, weeks after she’d died.
The fraudster bagged a total of £2,000 in cash.
And 43 donors contributed to her heartfelt fundraiser.
Kelly’s uncle even donated £1,000.
When her family asked where the money had gone, she lied to them.
Instead of giving her mum a final send-off after she died in May last year, Stoke on Trent Live reports Kelly spent the money on “rent, bills and living costs”.
Prior to this desperate measure, Kelly told Derbyshire council she was experiencing money problems.
They agreed to pay for her mums funeral.
Prosecutor Sara Beddow said: “On September 22 it was confirmed she had made no contact with a funeral directors to pay for the funeral.
“It was paid for by Derbyshire Council.
“Enquiries with the bank confirmed her bank account was credited with £2,000 on June 30 last year. Her balance on August 3 was £134.
“She obtained £3,470 towards her mother’s funeral costs but did not use the money for its intended purpose and requested that the council pay for it instead.”
Kelly’s GoFundMe page earned her £1,450, however, in a statement to the police she admitted she received £2,000.
Claims have been made for compensation, including from the council.
But the cash is yet to be repaid.
In a magistrates court, Kelly plead guilty to fraud by false representation.
She was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, plus 15 days of rehab and 140 hours of unpaid work.
Kelly said: “I committed the offence due to the financial circumstances I was struggling with at the time.
“I feel really bad for doing so. I do regret what I did.”
District Judge Stephen Hayes who took the trial, said she should have been jailed immediately.
He said: “It is difficult to think of how you could have acted in a worse way than you did.
“Not only did you take advantage of the generosity of members of the public and close friends by way of a Go Fund Me Page but you also took the money from family members and outright lied to them about what the money had been spent on.”
“You should be thoroughly ashamed of your actions.
“There was a huge element of breach of trust, not just with family members but members of the public and friends you asked for donations from.
“You asked for donations over a significant period of time and even lied to the funeral staff who waited for you to tell them what you wanted to do for your own mother’s funeral.
He added: “I genuinely find it difficult to comprehend how you could behave in that fashion.”