A Birmingham-based brother and sister duo, associated with the Sikh Youth UK group, have been sentenced by a UK court after being found guilty of fraud related to charitable donations. Rajbinder Kaur, 55, was convicted of money laundering, six counts of theft totaling GBP 50,000, and one charge under Section 60 of the UK's Charities Act 2011, which addresses providing false or misleading information to the Charity Commission.
Her brother, Kaldip Singh Lehal, 43, was also convicted under the same charge. Kaur and Lehal operated the Sikh Youth UK (SYUK) group. Kaur was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday. Lehal received a four-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with 80 hours of community service.
Superintendent Annie Miller from West Midlands Police stated, "Kaur tried to portray herself as naive about financial matters despite her banking background. SYUK was clearly a means to fund her lifestyle and pay off debts, with Kaur stealing large amounts of money donated for good causes."
The pair were arrested in July 2019 and charged in September 2019. The investigation was lengthy and complex, with collaboration between West Midlands Police and the Charity Commission.
In 2016, Kaur and Lehal applied for SYUK to be a registered charity, but the application was closed when the Charity Commission requested more information. During fundraising events in 2018, such as a sponsored winter sleep-out and a football tournament, SYUK received numerous donations. Kaur transferred funds from SYUK's bank account to her own, using the money to pay off personal debts and send money to others, including family members. She opened over 50 personal bank accounts to complicate the tracking of stolen funds.
The case dates back to October 2018 when West Midlands Police notified the Charity Commission about concerns regarding SYUK’s use of charitable funds. Although SYUK is not a registered charity, the Charity Commission intervened due to the funds being charitable in nature. The investigation led to the opening of a statutory inquiry in November 2018, which was publicly announced in July 2019 to avoid prejudicing criminal proceedings. SYUK activists protested outside Birmingham Crown Court, calling the case a “witch-hunt” against the group.
