'Truly abhorrent' - Portsmouth woman jailed after falsifying references for job at George’s Rockstars charity and faking cancer diagnosis
Charity calls her actions ‘truly abhorrent’ and ‘emotionally devastating’
A woman has been jailed for two years after she faked references to get a job at a charity before disappearing after lying that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Claire Alderton, 48, of Shadwell Road in Portsmouth, pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court to creating the fake references to get a job at George’s Rockstar’s. The co-founder of the charity has described her actions as “truly abhorrent” and “emotionally devastating”.
Alderton was employed by the charity as the trusts & foundations fundraiser in June 2024 after providing two references from previous employers. In her role, she had told the charity that she had successfully submitted applications for grants. However, in December 2024 Alderton told her employer that she had been diagnosed with cancer and stopped working. She then stopped responding to any messages from George’s Rockstar’s.
When the charity approached one of the foundations that Alderton had said they had secured a grant from, they were advised that no application had been made to them. This prompted them to dig further and they contacted her supposed former employers via LinkedIn who confirmed that they had not written the references and the emails allegedly from them were faked.
Amy O’Shaughnessy, who co-founded the charity after losing her son George to Leukaemia in 2019, said: “To target charities, secure employment through deception, and fabricate a cancer diagnosis to the mother and founder of an organisation established in memory of a child who bravely fought that very disease is truly abhorrent. Furthermore, to falsify funding applications meant to support seriously ill children in hospitals is a profound betrayal of public trust.
“George’s Rockstars was created to preserve my son’s legacy and provide music therapy to families navigating their darkest hours in hospitals. While our services face immense demand, I have had to work tirelessly simply to prevent his legacy from going under due to this her fraudulent actions.
“We have fought incredibly hard to ensure that, despite the gravity of this deception, our support for children and families remains uninterrupted.
“Personally, uncovering the sheer depth of these lies has been emotionally devastating. A custodial sentence is the absolute least she deserves for exploiting the charity sector and the vulnerabilities of a grieving family.
“We are deeply grateful to the police and the justice system for their rigorous work in ensuring accountability and securing this conviction.”
Alderton was arrested after the police were contacted by Report Fraud and was charged with committing fraud by false representation, in dishonestly providing two false references to gain employment at a charity, intending to make a financial gain for herself.
She admitted the charges and was sentenced to two years imprisonment on June 19. At court it was revealed that she had not been diagnosed with cancer and this was another of her lies.
PC Emma Thomas from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Central Fraud Unit said, “I am pleased with this result and to see Alderton put behind bars for her actions. To knowingly and purposefully target the charity sector for personal gain is an appalling crime and one for which Alderton deserved to face justice for.
“Her actions have caused both financial and emotional suffering, and I hope that prison gives her time to reflect on the consequences of her choices.”