Black Lives Matter organiser Xahra Saleem jailed over £30k fundraiser fraud

Xahra Saleem was jailed after pleading guilty to fraud

An organiser of a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest has been jailed for using thousands of pounds in fundraising donations on her expensive lifestyle.

Xahra Saleem was a director of Changing Your Mindset, a charity for disadvantaged youths in Bristol.

She previously denied taking money from a fundraising page set up before the toppling of Edward Colston's statue but later admitted one count of fraud.

Saleem was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison at Bristol Crown Court.

The 23-year-old from Romford, London, was one of the organisers of a protest in Bristol on 7 June 2020 which had been arranged in response to the death of George Floyd in the US.

Saleem gained a high public profile from her involvement as one of the BLM marchers on the day of the protest, which ended with the statue of slave trader Edward Colston being pulled down and dumped in Bristol Harbour.

In the days leading up to the protest, Saleem set up a fundraising page to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) to help legally facilitate the march, which took place during Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

A statue of slave trader Edward Colston was thrown into the harbour on the day of the protest

More than £32,000 was raised and Saleem pleaded guilty to fraud by abusing her position as director of Changing Your Mindset, by transferring the money to her personal bank accounts and spending it between June 2020 and September 2021.

Judge Michael Longman said more than 2,500 payments were made from her account in a "constant leakage over a significant period of time", which included living expenses, a new iPhone, hair and beauty appointments, clothing, Amazon orders, takeaways and taxis.

The judge told Saleem raising money for Changing Your Mindset was "a worthwhile cause" but that "you then used (it) not for their benefit but for your own, funding a lifestyle for yourself that you could not otherwise have afforded".

He added: "The amount raised exceeded expectations by a significant margin.

"In the absence of a business account to pay the money into, the decision was made to pay it into your own account as an interim measure.

"The others involved in the project trusted you to hold the funds securely until a better arrangement could be made.

"There should have been no reason why the money could not be transferred into that account but problems became apparent.

"The money was not transferred and you made excuses for that failure."

People involved with BLM attended Bristol Crown Court for the sentencing

A business account was set up in April 2021, but the money was not transferred.

Saleem admitted the money was gone, but put forward contradictory excuses for its disappearance.

She also offered to report herself to the police, but did not do that.

The court heard that in June 2021, Saleem discussed the fraud over WhatsApp with a friend, telling them: "I have done something horrendous, you can't tell anyone until I have properly sorted it out", and draft apology messages were also discovered on her phone.

Saleem claimed she had suffered from psychosis, which stopped her from thinking rationally.

Although she originally pleaded not guilty, she said she feels remorse for her actions.

Changing Your Mindset has since closed down.

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