Reform candidate stands down over charity fraud

A candidate who had been due to stand for Reform UK in a council election has pulled out after admitting defrauding a charity.

Daniel Turner, 39, who was a manager at the Meridale Youth and Community Centre, in Sutton-on-Sea, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position at Boston Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Turner, from Horncastle, is due to be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on a date yet to be fixed.

Reform UK said Turner's membership of the party had been suspended.

Turner was announced last month as the Reform candidate for Louth North in the Lincolnshire County Council elections on 1 May.

His replacement is due to be announced later this week.

In a statement, Meridale trustees said Turner, who was formerly a trustee, centre manager and youth group leader, had betrayed the trust placed in him.

They said Turner was originally suspended and later dismissed in May 2022 for gross negligence and misconduct in relation to personal misuse of Meridale IT systems.

Following his dismissal, a thorough review and audit was conducted, the trustees said. Turner's actions had "significantly deprived" the organisation of funds.

In total, trustees said he had defrauded the charity out of more than £28,600.

"This financial loss has delayed or curtailed projects and activities of direct benefit to Sutton-on-Sea, Trusthorpe and Mablethorpe," a spokesperson said.

They added that the trustees were determined to recover the money under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

A Reform UK spokesman said: "No one is officially a Reform UK candidate until nomination papers are handed in."

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