Scottish charity manager Lindsay MacCallum stole more than £95,000 from two cancer charities, including one set up in memory of her best friend's daughter; she was jailed for three years

For years, Lindsay MacCallum held positions that gave her access to money raised for people affected by cancer. She worked with two charitable organisations in Scotland, handling fundraising and financial arrangements, while donations were intended to support their respective causes. But an investigation into missing funds eventually uncovered unauthorised payments, forged signatures and money transferred into accounts belonging to her and members of her family. The amounts involved exceeded £95,000, taken over a period spanning roughly a decade. MacCallum, a former charity manager from Aberfoyle in Stirlingshire, was eventually brought before Falkirk Sheriff Court, where she admitted her involvement in the fraudulent activity and received a three-year prison sentence.How Lindsay MacCallum misused her position at Anthony Nolan charityMacCallum, 61, had a longstanding association with the charity sector before the offences came to light. Between 1995 and 2012, she worked as a fundraising manager for the Anthony Nolan charity, an organisation involved in leukaemia treatment and stem cell donation. Her responsibilities included handling financial transactions, although payments by cheque required approval from one of two authorised office-bearers.The local fundraising group, Aberfoyle Friends of Anthony Nolan Trust, continued operating its bank account even after both authorised signatories had left the organisation in 2007. MacCallum had been made redundant from her position with Anthony Nolan in 2012, but the account remained accessible to her.The court heard that she continued withdrawing money by using signatures that did not belong to the former office-bearers. Between July 2011 and September 2016, eight cheques were issued without proper authorisation. Together, they amounted to £9,505.Both former signatories later told police that they had not signed the documents. They also identified the handwriting on the cheques as MacCallum's, helping establish how the payments had been made.How a friendship led to a £85,978 cancer charity fraudThe larger part of the fraud involved Friends of Rainbow Valley, a charity established in July 2012 by a woman who had previously been MacCallum's close friend. The organisation was created in memory of the friend's daughter and employed MacCallum as a paid project development manager.Their professional relationship continued for several years, with MacCallum entrusted with responsibilities connected to the charity's work and finances. However, the friendship eventually deteriorated. She remained involved with the organisation until March 2022, when she stepped down from her position.The financial discrepancies were discovered several months later. In August 2022, charity officials examined the accounts and found transactions that could not be properly explained, including payments associated with the organisation's annual fundraising ball.The review raised questions about where the money had gone. When confronted about the missing funds, MacCallum admitted that she had taken money from the charity. She also acknowledged her actions publicly in a Facebook post, writing: "I've let everybody down. I'm so sorry."As reported by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the investigation established that £85,978.48 had been fraudulently obtained from Friends of Rainbow Valley. Combined with the £9,505 taken from the Anthony Nolan fundraising account, the total came to £95,483.48.How the stolen charity money was distributedDetails presented in court showed that the money did not simply disappear through a single transaction. Between 2013 and 2021, MacCallum paid substantial sums into several bank accounts connected to her family.Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service reported that two personal accounts held by MacCallum received a combined £48,027. A further £5,045 went into a joint bank account she shared with her husband, while £1,670 was deposited into accounts belonging to her adult children.Other spending was traced through her credit card and retail purchases. The court heard that £21,056 had been spent on a credit card, while another £4,210 went towards purchases from Next.Three-year prison sentence and proceeds of crime actionMacCallum appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court after admitting two charges relating to a fraudulent scheme carried out between 2011 and 2021. The court sentenced her to three years in prison.The case also prompted action to recover the money obtained through the offences. MacCallum is to face confiscation proceedings under proceeds of crime legislation, which allows authorities to pursue the recovery of financial gains from criminal activity.Helen Nisbet, Procurator Fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, addressed the breach of responsibility involved in the case. She said MacCallum had been entrusted with financial oversight of money raised by two cancer charities, but had used that access to take donations intended for people affected by the disease. Nisbet also stressed the importance of maintaining public confidence in charitable organisations, particularly when people contribute money believing it will reach those who need support.