Nottingham woman Chanel Bailey jailed for stealing money donated in memory of premature baby

A woman who raised £1,000 in memory of a baby girl, who died after being born prematurely, has been jailed after she stole the money for herself.

Chanel Bailey, 26, from Lenton, Nottingham, set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for a memorial after befriending the baby's grieving mother.

28 people went on to donate to the cause but Bailey kept the money.

A court heard she withdrew £935 from the crowdfunding account on 21 January 2020.

A police investigation found she had done a similar thing previously.

In 2017, Bailey contacted the mother of a two-year-old girl who was fighting a brain tumour.

Bailey said she wanted to help raise money to send the little girl to Germany for treatment.

A sponsored walk was organised but Bailey failed to hand over cash she’d collected.

She also announced plans to shave her head to raise money for the same cause and again failed to hand over donations.

The little girl went on to die from her brain tumour.

Bailey, of Martinmass Close, Lenton, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Monday 23 May 2022 after previously pleading guilty to fraud by false representation and theft.

She was jailed for two years and three months.

Inspector Christopher Jury, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Chanel Bailey took advantage of her victims' pain and the charitable spirit of many people, just so she could treat herself on other people’s hard-earned money.

“The deception was cunning and manipulative and I am pleased the courts recognised this.

“There is absolutely no excuse for her actions and she is deserving of the prison sentence she will now have to serve.”