Royal British Legion official sentenced for embezzling £20,000 from poppy appeal funds

A chairman of a Royal British Legion branch, who misappropriated over £20,000 in donations intended for the charity’s well-known poppy appeal, has received a sentence. Sean Pullen was entrusted with cash given to the Liverpool branch of the organization but appropriated the money before incinerating some of the collection receptacles in his home’s garden. Pullen, described in court as “manipulative” and having fabricated details about his military background, admitted guilt to fraud by abuse of position. He was given a two-year prison term, which a judge at Liverpool Crown Court opted to suspend. Elaine Overend, a volunteer at the branch who collaborated with Pullen, informed the court that he had caused a “trail of devastation” after the funds began to disappear between October and December 2018. Pullen, from Scarisbrick, Lancashire, is currently registered as blind and appeared in court with the aid of his solicitor. James Rae, the prosecutor, stated to the court that while Pullen’s acknowledged amount was £20,000, he potentially defrauded the charity of as much as £70,000. Ms Overend initially alerted authorities when the Royal British Legion informed her that the Liverpool branch had collected only £20,000 in 2018, as Pullen had previously informed volunteers “that they had in fact raised over £50,000 that year”. Pullen, who served as the poppy appeal organizer for Liverpool since April 2009, frequently remained in a minibus stationed on Church Street while others undertook collection duties, the court heard. He fabricated numerous falsehoods to volunteers – such as claiming to be a “government spook” as an “excuse to shroud his life in mystery”. During sentencing, Judge Trevor-Jones characterized Pullen’s offenses as “a grand deceit” and noted that Pullen had claimed membership in “the esteemed parachute regiment”. He further stated, “All of which proved to be entirely false.” He characterized the Royal British Legion as “one of the much loved and iconic causes held in great affection by the public”. He proceeded: “When activities such as this attract inevitable publicity it then impacts on the confidence of the public in deciding whether it’s safe or reliable to risk making future donations.” “By your dishonesty, your greed primarily impacted on what funds were available to help those deserving families. There was £20,000 less than there should have been.” The judge added: “To compound matters you sought to blame others for the losses you have caused, casting initial suspicion on them until it became apparent they were entirely blameless.” As the judge departed the bench, exclamations of “Walter Mitty conman” and “robbing the dead” emanated from the public gallery. In a victim impact statement, Ms Overend said: “These elderly people would give money to Sean Pullen directly for the Royal British Legion and we have no idea where that money went or how it was spent. “They usually gave more than what they could afford and were always incredibly generous.” “Our branch is in tatters. Instead of being at the fore of veteran welfare, we are now the laughing stock of the city.” John Rowan, Pullen’s defence counsel, informed the court that his client possessed “about £300 in the bank” and “has no assets”. It was revealed in court that the Royal British Legion initiated its own private prosecution, incurring expenses exceeding £200,000. The charity initially conveyed its suspicions to Merseyside Police; however, the police force opted not to pursue the case due to Pullen’s use of multiple aliases, which complicated his identification. A letter from the force informed the charity: “As it stands, there are too many gaps we’re unable to fill, the main one being who the suspect truly is. “This case has been finalised pending further evidence coming to light.”