Lindsay MacCallum has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to fraudulently obtaining almost £86,000 from the Rainbow Valley cancer charity in Scotland. MacCallum also embezzled over £9,000 from the Anthony Nolan Trust. Working as a fundraiser for the charity, MacCallum defrauded Rainbow Valley over a period of ten years, forging staff signatures and transferring funds for personal use. The mother of Angela MacVicar’s daughter was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, after which she became a prominent campaigner before Johanna died in May 2005.
Her mother, Angela, says she feels hurt and betrayed by her former friend of decades and believes her crimes were motivated by “vanity, greed, and narcissism”. She adds it has also “tarnished” Johanna’s legacy.
Angela claims that MacCallum targeted her with a “cold” plan which saw their friendship become a shield for deceit, with MacCallum liking “nice expensive clothes” and wanting to live a higher lifestyle. The two women decided to set up the Rainbow Valley charity in Johanna’s memory in 2012, with MacCallum in charge and Angela acting as a figurehead. However, after MacCallum left Rainbow Valley in 2022, her account with access to funds had to be closed, and Angela’s other daughter, Kendall, who worked for the charity, noticed that cash had been rerouted to MacCallum herself.
Angela initially refused to believe the accusations against MacCallum, at which point the latter suggested that the stolen money was for her daughter, who would be unable to pay her rent. MacCallum later admitted to the theft after seeing the mounting evidence and claimed that she would be ruined, along with the charity and Angela, if matters went further.
Johanna’s close family say they hope that the firm stance taken by the authorities against MacCallum sends a message to the third sector that such activity is unacceptable. Angela believes the charity continues to flourish, with changes being made and the routine questioning of even senior decision-making actively encouraged
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