A SOUTHAMPTON woman who stole up to £5,000 from charity fun days that she said were for a children's hospital unit has walked free from court.

Karolin Jones staged family fun days at Lloyd Recreation Ground in Marchwood and the Vine pub in Ower claiming to be raising money for sick children.

During a week-long trial at Southampton Crown Court she was alleged to have pocketed up to £5,000, and the jury heard that she duped hundreds of people who attended the events.

Jones, 29, was convicted of one count of fraud and another of theft and was given 18 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Following the jury's verdict Richard Cobden, director of Southampton Hospital Charity, said: "When a fundraiser steals money that people have given to help sick children it’s a serious betrayal, both of the donors and of the children the money would have helped.

"We will always have a zero-tolerance policy towards such dishonesty which, thankfully, is very rare."

The mother-of-three was also ordered to pay £300 in compensation to Southampton General Hospital and was handed a 12 month community order and told to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

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