Woman arrested after she raised £3,500 for her mother’s funeral then spent money on herself

A woman who raised almost £3,500 for her mum’s funeral before pocketing much of it herself has been arrested.

Danielle Kelly, 28, set up a GoFundMe page on May 31 last year and asked for donations to cover the costs of the funeral after the death of her mother on May 9.

On the page she told potential donors that her ‘loving, caring’ mum had requested a simple burial, but even a simple burial costs almost £2,000, which she said she didn’t have.

The lady raised £1,470 from 43 donors through the site and also received two additional donations of £1,000, one from a woman whose name wasn’t given and one from her uncle, the Cannock Magistrates’ Court in Staffordshire heard.

Writing on the GoFundMe page, Kelly said: ‘(My mum) was a very loving, caring person and I wish to give her a simple burial like she requested for. Even for a simple burial it is just under £2,000 and as of right now I cannot fund that by myself.

‘I am asking for help to raise around £2,500 to fund my mother’s funeral and any extra expenses that may arise, so she can be laid to rest when the time comes to do so. Anything little or large helps. Sharing even helps too.’

On September 22 it was confirmed that the funeral directors who carried out her mother’s funeral had not been paid, so the costs were covered by Derbyshire Council.

Kelly later admitted in a police interview she had spent the £2,000 on ‘rent, bills and living costs’.

Prosecutor Sara Beddow said: ‘Enquiries with (Kelly’s) bank confirmed her bank account was credited with £2,000 on June 30 last year. Her balance on August 3 was £134.

‘She obtained £3,470 towards her mother’s funeral costs but did not use the money for its intended purpose and requested that the council pay for it instead.’

Miss Beddow added there were claims for compensation for the two people who paid £1,000 and Derbyshire Council which paid £1,760.

Kelly, of Compton Road, Baswich, Stafford, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.

Representing herself, she said: ‘I committed the offence due to the financial circumstances I was struggling with at the time. I feel really bad for doing so. I do regret what I did.’

She added she is not working and has not repaid any of the cash.

District Judge Stephen Hayes sentenced Kelly to 20 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, with a rehabilitation activity requirement for 15 days and 140 hours unpaid work.

She was ordered to pay a total of £1,500 compensation – £500 to each of the three parties entitled to a payment. There was no order for costs.

The judge said it should have been an immediate jail sentence but he was prepared to suspend it because of the delay in the case coming to court.

He added: ‘It is difficult to think of how you could have acted in a worse way than you did.

‘Not only did you take advantage of the generosity of members of the public and close friends by way of a GoFundMe page but you also took the money from family members and outright lied to them about what the money had been spent on.’