Cancer charity worker steals £92k to pay for wedding and honeymoon

A former finance worker who stole nearly £92,000 from a breast cancer charity to cover his wedding and honeymoon expenses has been jailed for two and a half years.

According to City of London Police, 29-year-old Tameem Choudhury "exploited" his position within Breast Cancer Now to redirect a sum meant for the organisation straight into his personal bank account.

Choudhury, of Hackney, north London, was handed the prison sentence at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges of fraud and money laundering.

In August 2023, while employed in the charity’s finance department, Choudhury intercepted a refund payment amounting to £91,966.72 from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Using his corporate email address, Choudhury forwarded details for his personal bank account to the trust, presented on Breast Cancer Now letterhead, police said.

Within weeks of receiving the transaction, he spent the stolen money on wedding and honeymoon costs, luxury items — including an Alexander Brown ring valued at £14,000 — settling personal debts and withdrawing cash, the force added.

Detective Constable Yusuf Meerza, from the City of London Police fraud operations team, noted that Choudhury "abused a position of trust" inside the charity.

Dc Meerza added: "The generosity of donors enables charities such as Breast Cancer Now to support vital research and provide help to those affected by breast cancer.

"Choudhury’s actions betrayed that trust and placed charitable funds at risk for his own personal gain."

Text messages recovered from Choudhury’s mobile phone during the police investigation showed he had described himself as "borderline broke" shortly before committing the crime, the force said.

Investigators also identified evidence connecting the stolen funds to debt collection agency payments, flights to Qatar and monetary transfers to relatives.

A total of £42,866 was recovered from Choudhury’s account after his bank froze it upon detecting suspicious activity.

Choudhury was arrested in June last year after Breast Cancer Now reported the incident to law enforcement.

A spokesperson for the charity stated that it takes the matter "extremely seriously" and has carried out a "thorough review" of its internal procedures.

The spokesperson added: "People affected by breast cancer are at the heart of all we do.

"Through life-saving research, life-changing support and change-making campaigns, we’re changing the future of breast cancer, and we’re committed to upholding the highest standards to ensure all funds so generously donated to the charity help those affected by this devastating disease, as intended.

"Funds have been recovered and the charity has not experienced any financial loss."

Established in 2015, Breast Cancer Now finances research into the condition and offers those affected opportunities to speak with specialist nurses, participate in support groups and access resources.

With the King serving as its royal patron, the charity benefits from high-profile advocates, including broadcasters Lisa Snowdon and Julia Bradbury – who detailed her own fight against breast cancer in a documentary released in 2022.