A man who stole £57,000 of charitable donations meant to help children with disabilities or serious illnesses has been jailed for more than two years.
Scott Wright, 45 and of Hengrove, Bristol, admitted spending the funds from the Darren Wright Foundation, which he ran.
Last week at Bristol Crown Court he was sentenced to 28 months in prison.
Avon and Somerset Police said families of children who thought they would receive support from the foundation first became concerned about how its funds were being spent in 2017.
They contacted the Charity Commission, which opened a statutory inquiry and referred the matter to police after the charity’s trustees failed to cooperate.
In November 2019, the commission won its first contempt of court case against two former trustees of the charity.
The High Court ruled that Susan and Raymond Wright had failed to comply with the regulator’s order to provide evidence and documentation for the regulator’s statutory inquiry.
Avon and Somerset Police said last week that fraud officers found large amounts of money had been removed from the charity’s bank while significant sums were credited to Scott Wright’s personal accounts.
Police said most of the money was spent on day-to-day living expenses, but Wright also used the funds to finance his stag do and wedding.
The charity, which was named after Wright’s brother, appears to no longer be operating and could not be located on the Charity Commission’s online register on Friday afternoon.
Detective sergeant Louise Sinclair, of Avon and Somerset Police’s fraud team, said it had been a very difficult time for the families affected by Wright’s crimes.
“While Wright has demonstrated significant remorse and regret for his actions it is only right he is punished for the upset he caused and I hope now that he has been sentenced this brings some closure to all those involved,” she said.