A man has been jailed for more than two years after he raised thousands of pounds in the wake of a tragic crash that killed four young men – but kept the cash for himself.
Jason MacDonald, 38, was found guilty of possessing criminal property relating to that fraud and possession with intent to supply class A drugs on October 28.
The defendant, of Blackbird Court, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, has since been jailed for 26 months.
His accomplice Kyle Saunders, 18, was given a 12-month community order when he was sentenced by the Swindon Magistrates Court in January this year.
During his sentence, Saunders will need to complete 12 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.
Saunders had previously admitted fraud by false representation when appearing before Swindon Magistrates’ Court on December 1, 2021.
MacDonald was involved in running a fraudulent online donation page that purported to be raising money to fund a memorial for four young men from Calne, Wilts., who died in a devastating crash on the A4 in 2020.
Jordan Rawlings, 20, Corey Owen, 19, Matthew Parke, 19, and Ryan Nelson, 20, were killed when the car in which they were travelling left the road near Derry Hill in August 2020 and burst into flames after crashing into a house at more than 117mph.
The GoFundMe, titled ‘Jordan, Corey, Matt, Ryan Memorial’, raised £6,479.59.
MacDonald was told to pay £2,000 in compensation to GoFundMe. There was no order for costs or a victim surcharge, because compensation took priority.
Investigating Officer DC Kevin Golledge said: “We hope this result sends a strong message to others that we take such incidents seriously and we won’t hesitate to take action.
“This was a despicable crime that saw someone try to capitalise on the deaths of four young men.”
Police Sergeant Rich Marshall said: “This is a crime that has impacted the four children’s family and the people who paid into the donation account.
“We hope the sentencing will show that justice has been done and I hope this brings some closure for the families of the four young men.”
A separate genuine fundraising page was set up to raise money for the four crash victims. It raised more than £9,286.
The money was put towards a garden of reflection which was built at Castlefield Park in Calne.
