Woman jailed for spending £3k of charity cash

Claire Tempest pleaded guilty to fraud at Bradford Magistrates' Court

A woman has been jailed for spending almost £3,000 of funds from a charity she was running on shopping, travel and food deliveries for herself.

Claire Tempest, director of Bradford-based charity Helping Hands, sobbed after she was sentenced to eight months in custody at Bradford Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to fraud in July, admitting she took £2,945.80 between 8 August 2023 and 3 January 2025.

Deputy district judge Wallace said: "I have no doubt that when you set up this group, it was with good intentions. Unfortunately, there came a point in time when you decided to help yourself to the funds."

Tempest, who was also ordered to donate £2,000 to a local charity by March 2026, told the judge: "I'd just like to say that I'm sorry."

'Act of desperation'

Helping Hands, although not a registered charity, helped people in the Bierley area of Bradford by providing food, white goods, furniture and toiletries to those in need.

It mainly operated on Facebook and prosecutor Vicky Truman told the court that other members of the group began to suspect something was amiss due to Tempest's lack of transparency about the charity's finances.

She would not allow the charity's treasurer, Claire Grove, to see the organisation's bank statements.

"[Ms Grove] was asked by a friend what the money donated was used for," Ms Truman said.

"She asked Miss Tempest and she said that she didn't have to prove anything to anyone."

Ms Truman said Ms Grove has asked for screenshots of the charity's bank statements, but Tempest had "refused" to provide them.

"At that point she resigned from being treasurer," Ms Truman said, adding it was then she raised concerns with other moderators of the group before Tempest was reported to Action Fraud.

A police investigation found Tempest had made 54 transactions to her partner, totalling more than £2,500, and 28 transactions to Uber and Uber Eats.

Sharan Dosanjh, mitigating for Tempest, said her client had been "ridiculed on social media" and had even received "death threats and public shaming".

Ms Dosanjh said taking the cash "was an act of desperation" and that she had shown genuine remorse.

The judge said Tempest's actions "undermines trust and public confidence in charitable donations, it's something we cannot tolerate".

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