Former lovers from Blackpool jailed for defrauding Essex children's charity out of more than £50,000

After a lengthy legal delay, last week Ruksana Khan, 68, was jailed for a total of five years and 11 months, and James Donovan for three years.

Appearing at Chelmsford Crown Court in 2021, Khan admitted three counts of fraud between 2011 and 2016, where she siphoned off more than £50,000 from former Clacton-based charity Kidz Come First. In total there were 378 payments into her personal bank account and the court heard she spent the cash on online gambling.

This Blackpool nurse has been sanctioned for texting and gifting alcohol to a patient

At that time, Magistrates were told there were cash withdrawals of more than £15,000, with the prosecution alleging charity trustee - and Khan’s former partner - James Donovan, now 58, acted as the sole signatory to the transactions.

In a separate prosection held in February this year, Donovan, of Westfield Road, Blackpool, was month found guilty of three counts of fraud.

He had denied any form of involvement with the charity and told Chlemsford Crown Court he didn’t attend meetings or collect donations, but the prosecution told the court how statements showed thousands of pounds were still being exchanged between Donovan and Khan’s account in the weeks following the meeting with the Charities’ Commission in 2014.

Sentencing On June 13 at Chelmsford Crown Court, both Khan and Donovan were sentenced.

Khan was sentenced to one year for count one of the charges admitted, four years for count two, and 71 months for count three. All jail terms will run concurrently, so she will serve a total of 71 months behind bars.

Donovan was sentenced to three years imprisonment for count one of the charges proved against him, two years for count two, and six months for count three. Again, these will run concurrently, so he will be in prison for three years.

Charity Commission

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We expect anyone working on behalf of a charity to do so with integrity. These individuals took advantage of public generosity and diverted much needed funds away from causes people care about. The verdict sends a strong warning to anyone seeking to misuse public goodwill for their own benefit, that they will be held to account.

“Most fundraising is genuine but on rare occasions when it isn’t, the Commission will intervene. Our work was instrumental in putting a stop to this fraudulent operation. Working with the police and other law enforcement agencies is essential to detecting, deterring and preventing financial abuse so the British public can feel confident their charitable donations are being put to the intended use.”