Two charities that a Scottish woman defrauded of a total of nearly £100,000 have welcomed a decision that the money must be reimbursed in full within three months.
A deal, under which Lindsay MacCallum will repay by March £60,000 to Glasgow-based Rainbow Valley and £9,500 to Anthony Nolan (formerly the Anthony Nolan Trust), was reached between lawyers representing the parties, Falkirk Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday 11 December.
The settlement means confiscation proceedings – which could have led to an order resulting in the Treasury seizing the money – have been paused. As a result, the charities should now see the entirety of the money embezzled returned to them.
MacCallum, who was jailed in the autumn, has already paid back £25,000 of more than £85,000 stolen from cancer charity Rainbow Valley, which she launched with her then-friend Angela MacVicar in honour of the latter’s daughter. Johanna MacVicar died from leukaemia in 2005, aged 27, after first being diagnosed when she was 16.
Angela MacVicar told Civil Society she was “delighted” with the settlement, which she said sent a clear message that defrauding charities would not be tolerated.
Charity workers’ signatures forged
In October, MacCallum was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to fraudulently appropriating funds donated to Rainbow Valley, and to Anthony Nolan, a stem cell transplant charity.
MacCallum, 61, worked as a fundraising manager for Anthony Nolan from 1995 to 2012. She left that job to set up Rainbow Valley with MacVicar, where she remained for a decade to 2022.
MacVicar discovered the lost money after coming across discrepancies in accounts for a fundraising ball.
Prior to MacCallum’s sentencing, a court heard she had forged charity staff signatures and diverted cash from fundraising accounts for personal use between 2011 and 2021.
Her sentencing sheriff, Maryam Labaki, said she had "systematically and deliberately" committed "calculating" frauds on the two charities, and had “betrayed" cancer victims.
Advocate Sarah Loosemore said this week that MacCallum, who did not appear in court, had undertaken to pay the remaining money she owed, and needed three months to liquidate the funds.
Fiscal Asif Rashid, representing the Crown, said that so long as the balance was repaid by March 2025, court action under the Proceeds of Crime Act would be withdrawn.
MacCallum was ordered to be brought from prison for a final hearing on 5 March 2025.
Rainbow Valley: ‘A great result for all charities’
Angela MacVicar, Rainbow Valley’s head of operations and chair, told Civil Society she was “delighted the court ordered both charities to receive compensation for what Lindsay MacCallum systematically stole from them over a long period of time”.
She added: “We trusted the justice system to do the right thing, and remained stoic to the truth, and the court delivered the right verdict.
“Fraud takes place in all industries and this is a great result for all charities, sending out a clear message that this will not be tolerated,” MacVicar said. “Working in the third sector is a rewarding career and a privilege to the majority who work tirelessly with a mission of doing good for those less fortunate.”
MacVicar said she wanted to thank “everyone for their continuous support and love“ throughout a difficult two-and-half years.
“This was a heinous crime made so much worse due to the personal betrayal to my family and hers,” she said. “It is now time to heal, to rise and to build Rainbow Valley to be a household name for the right reasons – to help those affected by cancer thrive.”
Anthony Nolan: ‘These funds will enable us to help more patients’
A spokesperson for Anthony Nolan said: “We’re delighted with this outcome for both charities.
“Once received, the funds will enable us to help more patients with blood cancer and blood disorders, honouring the intentions of our generous supporters,” they added.
The stem cell charity had previously told Civil Society it was “devastating” that supporters, many of whom have a personal connection to its work, could have donated money in good faith only to see it being siphoned off.
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