Hackney man jailed for stealing £92k meant for breast cancer charity

Tameem Choudhury, 29, from Gujarat House on Stoke Newington Church Street in Hackney, has been sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment after admitting fraud and money laundering. He diverted nearly £92,000 that was due to be returned to Breast Cancer Now.

The fraud occurred when The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust was preparing to return £91,966.72 to the charity in August 2023. Choudhury, who worked within Breast Cancer Now's finance team, used his work email to send altered bank details to the Trust. The account provided for the refund belonged to him.

Spending the stolen funds

The money was transferred into Choudhury's personal Santander account on 16 August 2024. Within weeks, he had spent a significant portion of the funds on personal debts, wedding and honeymoon expenses, luxury purchases, and transfers to family members. Evidence from his mobile phone indicated he was heavily in debt prior to the incident, describing himself as 'borderline broke'.

Investigation and outcome

City of London Police began their investigation in June 2025, following a report from Breast Cancer Now. The charity stated that it had fully cooperated with the police and conducted a review of its internal processes. A spokesperson confirmed that no financial loss was incurred by the charity as the funds were recovered.

Detective Constable Yusuf Meerza of the City of London Police's Fraud Operations team commented that Choudhury had 'abused a position of trust' within the organisation. He added that the case highlights how fraud can be committed by individuals entrusted with financial safeguarding.