A man has admitted pocketing £300,000 donated by members of the public who believed it would go to Help for Heroes.

Christopher Copeland, 51, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud and one of concealing criminally obtained property at Exeter Crown Court yesterday. He was remanded on bail for sentencing on 15 September.

He and a team of fundraisers, who were paid expenses, used a fleet of ex-military vehicles decorated with Help for Heroes branding to encourage supermarket shoppers to put cash in donation buckets between 1 February 2010 and 17 September 2011.

Copeland then deposited the money in his personal bank account. He was caught out when one of the fundraisers became suspicious and informed Devon and Cornwall Police.

Yesterday Copeland told the BBC that he was feeling “very humble at the moment” and that he would like to make amends, saying “it was non-intentional but it happened”.

Jo Brookes, income protection officer at Help for Heroes, said: “We're appalled that Chris Copeland exploited the goodwill of so many people towards our wounded men and women in such a calculated, devious way."