Police to Review Handling of Royal British Legion Fraud Case

Merseyside Police has committed to an internal “review” regarding its officers’ failure to prosecute Sean Pullen, 50, who defrauded the Royal British Legion (RBL) charity of over £20,000 in poppy appeal funds. Pullen, who served as the chairman of the RBL’s Liverpool branch, stole the money and subsequently burned the empty collection containers at his residences. In 2019, the RBL branch presented its evidence to Merseyside Police, but the force stated it was unable to assist. This compelled the charity to spend £200,000 of its own resources to pursue a private prosecution. The police’s initial decision drew criticism in court and prompted inquiries from both a Member of Parliament and a judge. Pullen admitted guilt to fraud and received a two-year suspended prison sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday. During court proceedings, it was revealed that Elaine Overend, the current chairwoman of the Liverpool branch, had approached the police and detailed the charity’s internal investigation, which commenced in 2018 following initial suspicions. In her formal statement to the police in 2019, Ms. Overend recounted visiting Pullen’s previous residence in Scarisbrick, Lancashire, where she discovered fire remnants in the garden. She wrote, “There were actually coins melted into the debris.” She further stated, “I couldn’t understand why he would do this and I actually broke down and cried on discovering the fire and seeing what was the [collection] tins melted into a plastic red puddle.” Nevertheless, police informed Ms. Overend of challenges in the case, partly due to Pullen having used multiple names. A sergeant communicated in a letter to her: “As it stands, there are too many gaps we’re unable to fill, the main one being who the suspect truly is.” Conversely, in court, James Rae, who prosecuted for the RBL, explained that the charity’s legal representatives ultimately requested an arrest warrant from the magistrates’ court under the name Sean Kevan Pullen, the identity by which they knew him. Following media coverage of the warrant, Pullen voluntarily appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court and surrendered. Mr. Rae highlighted that a judge in earlier hearings had raised questions regarding the police’s lack of involvement in the matter. Ashley Dalton, the Member of Parliament for West Lancashire, Pullen’s residence at the time, characterized the circumstances as “bizarre.” She stated, “Lots of people go by different names, but that doesn’t mean you can’t identify them.” Dalton added, “If there is something preventing [the police] from identifying a person – some sort of legislation that is limiting their ability to do that – then that needs to be tackled.” Ms. Overend informed the BBC that members of the Liverpool branch also expressed dissatisfaction with the Royal British Legion’s central organization. Ms. Overend commented, “The legion wanted to brush it under the carpet, we as the city of Liverpool branch refused to do so.” She further stated, “We have been fighting, not just the Merseyside Police to get this court, but the British Legion didn’t want the publicity because they didn’t want people to stop donating to the cause.” The RBL acknowledged that the investigation had been a “difficult time for our volunteers and collectors” in Liverpool, but a spokesperson declined to provide further comment regarding Ms. Overend’s remarks. Merseyside Police announced that the force would examine its handling of the case in 2019 “to identify any possible learnings.” The police also stated: “Fraud can have a devastating impact on any victim, but to target a charity is particularly callous and we acknowledge that Sean Pullen has now been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.”