Manager who cheated charity out of £133k fails to attend court

A bench warrant for Donna Wells, who used a friend’s husband, Francis Jones, to launder some of the money through his mobile butty bar, was issued by a judge without a bail option.

Jones, 39, admitted that invoices totalling £42,800 had been dishonestly paid into his business by Wells, of which he had paid her £28,000 back.

Simon Christie, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that Wells was service manager for Addaction, based in Grangeway Community Centre, Runcorn.

The organisation, now known as We Are With You, supports people with drug or alcohol problems.

“Part of her role was to approve invoice payments on behalf of the charity. Her criminality is in six figures,” he said.

Jones owned Jones Butty Bar, and through his business she paid 17 invoices between January 15, 2018, and September 6, 2019.

A total of £42,800 was paid in and he paid her £28,100 back to her.

When interviewed, Jones, a dad of two young children, said he knew Wells as she was a friend of his wife and said he had provided some children’s food packages for Addaction.

He said he had bought a van for his business from his sister but amassed a £12,000 debt, and he was declared bankrupt in September 2020.

Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Christie said that the fraud had “a catastrophic impact on the charity.”

Jones, of Woodridge in Runcorn, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Defence barrister Brendan Carville said that he has been working since as a taxi driver, though he may lose that occupation now because of his conviction.

“There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation,” he added.

Recorder Andrew McLoughlin said that Wells had “inveigled you into committing this serious offence.”

He said that it appeared that 40-year-old Wells abused her position of trust “to bully and hector people around her.”

The judge told Jones: “You have been drawn into this for easy money to support your business, which ultimately failed and led to bankruptcy.”

He sentenced him to 15 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 100 hours unpaid work.

Wells, of Bridgeway East in Runcorn, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position between January 4, 2018, and January 25, 2020, at an earlier hearing.

When she was remanded on bail until today to enable pre-sentence reports to be prepared, Wells said that she wanted to go to Turkey to see her mother.