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12 August 2011
Last updated at 08:48 ET
A man who claimed to be raising money for the Help for Heroes armed forces charity has been jailed for fraud.
Matthew Brown, 35, of Telford Road, Inverness, had claimed to be a war veteran walking the British coastline to raise £500,000 for the organisation.
At Truro Crown Court, he was jailed for 16 months for one count of fraud.
After the case, Help for Heroes said Brown had registered with it to collect money but it never received any, adding that such fraud was "unforgivable".
'Mean-spirited' crime During his attempts to raise money, Brown told the media he was a 41-year-old former Army helicopter pilot who had been blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and shot at twice by the Taliban.
The court heard Brown stayed free of charge at a hotel in Newquay as a result of his claims and also took donations from guests.
The court also heard he had other convictions for fraud.
The judge said Brown's crime was "unpleasant" and "mean-spirited".
Help for Heroes said: "We can confirm that we registered his intent with Help for Heroes on 12 August for an event to take place on 29 August 2010.
"We have never been able to make contact with Matthew and we have no record of receiving funds from his event."
It added: "That people choose to fraudulently and greedily take funds for their own use - that are given generously by the British public intended to support the wounded - is unforgivable."
Brown is likely to serve half of his sentence because of time already spent in custody.
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Matthew Brown, 35, of Telford Road, Inverness, had claimed to be a war veteran walking the British coastline to raise £500,000 for the organisation.
At Truro Crown Court, he was jailed for 16 months for one count of fraud.
After the case, Help for Heroes said Brown had registered with it to collect money but it never received any, adding that such fraud was "unforgivable".
'Mean-spirited' crime During his attempts to raise money, Brown told the media he was a 41-year-old former Army helicopter pilot who had been blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and shot at twice by the Taliban.
The court heard Brown stayed free of charge at a hotel in Newquay as a result of his claims and also took donations from guests.
The court also heard he had other convictions for fraud.
The judge said Brown's crime was "unpleasant" and "mean-spirited".
Help for Heroes said: "We can confirm that we registered his intent with Help for Heroes on 12 August for an event to take place on 29 August 2010.
"We have never been able to make contact with Matthew and we have no record of receiving funds from his event."
It added: "That people choose to fraudulently and greedily take funds for their own use - that are given generously by the British public intended to support the wounded - is unforgivable."
Brown is likely to serve half of his sentence because of time already spent in custody.
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