A charity cheat who fleeced the organisation she worked for out of more than £14,000 to pay IVF debts, council tax and fund her nephew at university has been spared prison.
Milanthi Welamedage was a trusted office manager for Becon, a now defunct charity which helped black and ethnic minority communities. She had worked there since 2000 but was dismissed in 2014 for gross misconduct after racking up a bill of £1,725 for international phone calls.
An audit was then carried out which revealed suspicious transactions, with cheques being paid to Newcastle City Council even though there was no need for the charity to be sending funds to the local authority. It turned out they were being used to pay council tax for Welamedage's home in Kenton, Newcastle.
