# Cornwall fundraising director jailed

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/11/04/cornwall-fundraising-director-jailed/
- Published: 2006-11-04T00:00:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The director of fundraising of a Cornish charity has been jailed for 12 months after
he was found guilty of stealing money from collection boxes.
Richard Taylor, who
worked for the Cornwall First Air Ambulance Trust was found guilty of eight charges
of theft. His mother, who is chief executive of the charity, was earlier aquitted
of six counts of theft.

Taylor was caught when the owner of a petrol station in Bude and her colleague noticed
that the Air Ambulance collection box always seemed to yield less than other charity
boxes in the shop.

They set a trap, counted the money in the box and after it was emptied by the trust
collectors they were given a receipt for £4.88 less than the actual total. A second
occasion yielded a similar result and police were informed. They checked therboxes
at another shop in Bude and found further discrepancies. They then arrested Taylor.

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Taylor was also ordered to pay £2,000 towards prosecution costs.

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