Man fraudulently raises £2,500 for cat deaths

A STRATFORD man was arrested for fraud after falsely claiming he lost three cats in a house fire.

A GoFundMe page was set up where hundreds of people sent in donations for Adam Pattinson, after hearing the story of a chef losing his pets.

Birmingham magistrates heard Pattison, 34, of Trevelyan Crescent, was one of 3,500 members of a Facebook group called Kings Heath Cat Club.

He messaged a friend about a 15th July house fire in which, he claimed his three cats had been killed. As a result, members of the cat club later set up a GoFundMe appeal which raised almost £2,500.

After fees were deducted a total of £2,228 was transferred to Pattison’s account in August.

Club members were later reimbursed. When asked to give an explanation by police, Pattison said he had told a “small lie” that had got out of hand.

He admitted the cats were safe and with his girlfriend and what he did was wrong.

Pattison pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud. He was handed a 12 month community order, ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work and pay £185 costs.

In passing sentence District Judge Robert Zara said: "It is clearly an unpleasant offence in that it preys on people's natural sympathy which you were entitled to.

"It is also aggravated by the fact you have a previous offence of dishonesty."

However he accepted that no one had, in the end, had suffered any financial loss.

Simon Bailey, defending, said Pattison had been going through a relationship break up and was suffering from depression at the time of the offence.

He had been in hospital after suffering an injury and sent a text message to a friend who had set up the GoFundMe page and that matters had “escalated.”