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| Man jailed over £300,000 Help for Heroes fraud | Man jailed over £300,000 Help for Heroes fraud |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man who stole £300,000 intended for the charity Help for Heroes has been jailed for four-and-a-half years. | A man who stole £300,000 intended for the charity Help for Heroes has been jailed for four-and-a-half years. |
| Christopher Copeland, 52, from Devon, gathered teams of fundraisers to collect donations from the public across England and Wales. | Christopher Copeland, 52, from Devon, gathered teams of fundraisers to collect donations from the public across England and Wales. |
| Copeland had admitted charges of fraud and concealing criminally-obtained property at a previous hearing. | Copeland had admitted charges of fraud and concealing criminally-obtained property at a previous hearing. |
| The judge at Exeter Crown Court said Copeland's actions amounted to a serious breach of trust. | The judge at Exeter Crown Court said Copeland's actions amounted to a serious breach of trust. |
| Volunteer tip-off | Volunteer tip-off |
| The court heard Copeland's teams used a fleet of ex-military vehicles, in Help for Heroes livery, and encouraged shoppers at large stores to put money into charity buckets. | The court heard Copeland's teams used a fleet of ex-military vehicles, in Help for Heroes livery, and encouraged shoppers at large stores to put money into charity buckets. |
| He told his helpers he had given the money to the charity but put it in his own account, the court was told. | He told his helpers he had given the money to the charity but put it in his own account, the court was told. |
| He was caught when one of the volunteers became suspicious and tipped off Devon and Cornwall Police. The force discovered almost nothing had been paid to the charity. | He was caught when one of the volunteers became suspicious and tipped off Devon and Cornwall Police. The force discovered almost nothing had been paid to the charity. |
| Sentencing, Judge Phillip Wassall said Copeland had shown no remorse for what the judge described as a "large-scale fraud of many members of the public". | |
| He added that, given the "seriousness of the matter", the case should not dent the confidence of people wanting to donate to the charity. | |
| Copeland faces having assets seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act to deprive him of any benefit from his fraud. | Copeland faces having assets seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act to deprive him of any benefit from his fraud. |