Ex-Bank Worker Jailed for Stealing £50,000 from Charity to Pay Debts, Fund Lifestyle, and Send Money to Relatives

Rajbinder Kaur, a 55-year-old former bank worker, has been jailed for stealing £50,000 from Sikh Youth UK (SYUK), a charity that was supposed to help people. Instead of using the money for good causes, she used it to pay off her personal debts, support her lifestyle, and even send cash to family members. Kaur, who pretended to not understand finances to avoid suspicion, worked alongside her brother, Kaldip Singh Lehal, 43, who also played a role in the crimes.

SYUK had received generous donations from the public through events like a sponsored winter sleep-out and a football tournament in 2018. However, instead of using these funds for charitable work, Kaur moved the money into her own bank accounts. She had more than 50 accounts to make it harder for investigators to track where the money was going. West Midlands Police described her actions as a deliberate and selfish attempt to steal from well-meaning donors.

Superintendent Annie Miller from West Midlands Police explained that Kaur tried to act as though she didn’t understand financial matters, despite her banking background. “She used the charity as a way to fund her own lifestyle and clear her debts. This was money that kind-hearted people donated for good causes, and she simply stole it,” Miller said.

The investigation, which involved working closely with the Charity Commission, was long and complex. Kaur was eventually convicted in September of money laundering, six counts of theft, and providing false or misleading information to the Charity Commission. Her brother, Lehal, was found guilty of knowingly providing false information.

Kaur was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, while Lehal received a four-month suspended sentence, meaning he won’t go to jail as long as he follows the court’s conditions. He was also ordered to complete 80 hours of community service.

The court heard that the siblings ran Sikh Youth UK, which they formed in 2016. They even applied to register the organization as a charity, but when the Charity Commission asked for more details, they ignored the request, and the application was closed.

Kaur and Lehal, who lived on Hamstead Road in Handsworth Wood, were first arrested in July 2019. Their crimes were uncovered during a thorough investigation, which revealed how they had betrayed the trust of people who donated money to help others. Instead, they used the charity as a personal bank account, stealing thousands of pounds that could have made a real difference in the community.