Kayleigh Pepper ordered to pay back just £1 after stealing £37k from dead brother's charity

Kayleigh Pepper was jailed for 20 months at Hull Crown Court in March. Credit: MEN Media

A woman from Hull who stole around £37,000 from a foundation set up in her dead brother's name has been ordered to pay back just £1.

Kayleigh Pepper was jailed for 20 months at Hull Crown Court in March.

After previously claiming she had just £300 to her name, a proceeds of crime confiscation hearing has now been told the she has no money or assets that could be seized as compensation for the charity.

The court heard that the adjusted agreed benefit figure of the scam was £37,000, but because she had no means to cover that amount she was ordered to pay just £1 instead.

Pepper, now known as Kayleigh Tower, told a court hearing that she "never, ever in a million years" believed she would end up in "this position", and that she "deserved a chance to move forward".

The 37-year-old helped set up the foundation in memory of her brother Richard who died after being stabbed in a street attack in 2015. Daniel Flatley was jailed for 11 years over his death.

Pepper, formerly of Hardwick Avenue, was also instrumental in the No More Knives campaign in Hull, touring schools to warn of the dangers of knife crime.

The Rich Foundation was set up in memory of Kayleigh's brother Richard. Credit: Family photo

At a previous hearing, Pepper admitted fraud by abusing her position as a trustee of the The Rich Foundation, which supports grieving families.

She is said to have used the money from the foundation on everything from takeaways to clothes and holidays.

The case resurfaced at a Proceeds of Crime mention hearing, arranged to investigate whether any of the plundered money could be recovered and repaid.

Prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe claimed during a previous hearing that the estimated benefit figure of the money that Pepper was said to have fraudulently taken was £47,748, though Pepper disputes this.

The court heard that Pepper pleaded guilty on the basis she only took £20,000, and arrived at the hearing with £2,000 cash to pay as compensation.

But the money could not be accepted that day, and the prosecution believed it had since been "dissipated away".

Pepper claimed that £1,700 of the £2,000 belonged to another person and had since returned it.

She said previously: "The £2,000 in question is some money that I brought to court on 11 March."

She claimed that the prosecution had only become aware of its existence because of what she called her own "honesty" in making it available.

Pepper is said to have used the money from the foundation on everything from takeaways to clothes and holidays. Credit: MEN Media

She said at the earlier hearing that she had two young children, then aged 11 and eight, and they were now sleeping on air bag beds, not proper beds.

"If I had cash now, my children would be sleeping on beds," she said."I never, ever imagined in a million years that I would get in this position and I can only apologise sincerely for the hurt I have caused.

I deserve the chance to move forward with my children. I just felt I needed to say that."


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