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A mum who faked cancer to pocket £45,000 of donations also faced allegations of fraud over a charity boxing match she organised.
Nicole Elkabbas, from Broadstairs, will be sentenced this week after being found guilty of fraudulently setting up GoFundMe page, claiming she needed the money for life-saving treatment.
Instead, the former Harrods worker transferred tens of thousands of pounds from well-wishers - who were convinced she was dying - into her personal bank account and used it to fund a gambling problem as well as jaunts abroad and nearly £4,000 worth of Tottenham Hotspur tickets.
It has now emerged another allegation was made about Elkabbas, linked to a boxing gala, which she held in 2017 to raise money for the Broadstairs Town Team and its project The Shed, a wood working scheme for older people.
A spokesman for the town team says they were approached by the mum-of-one who wanted The Shed to be the nominated recipient for the charity fundraising event.
"Ms Elkabbas said the funds from the auction would be raised for the Shed," she said.
"The event went ahead and Ms Elkabbas publicised that she had raised £10,000 for the Shed."
But the Broadstairs Town Team, which was recently awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service for the project, based in St Peter's, says no funds have ever been received from the event.
"As a charity it is very disappointing to be promised funds and then not receive them," she said.
"The Shed is an important part of many people’s lives.
"Older people are often forgotten about and the Shed provides them with social interaction with other like-minded people who can work together on woodworking projects for the community."
She said police were provided with all the relevant information.
'It was deemed disproportionate to carry out further inquiries...'
Det Sgt Marc Cananur said the force was notified in April 2019 of an allegation of fraud that was reported to have been committed in May 2017 by an individual who had already been charged in connection with serious fraud offences.
He said: "Details of the alleged offence were recorded but no further action was taken in light of the ongoing investigation, as it was deemed disproportionate to carry out further inquiries when the new allegation was unlikely to have resulted in any differences to the level of sentence imposed on the suspect upon conviction.
"A review of the suspect’s finances revealed there was also little prospect of the victim receiving any of the money that was reportedly owed to them.
"The victim was encouraged to report the incident to Action Fraud and to consider taking alternative action to request compensation from the suspect."
Elkabbas, a former fashion consultant, posted a picture of herself in a hospital bed on GoFundMe in 2017.
The page said the "loving mum" who was "recently diagnosed" needed cash for life-saving treatment.
It came with a photo portraying Elkabbass as frail, laying on her back in a hospital bed under a blanket, eyes closed and mouth open.
But the picture was actually taken after she had an operation to remove her gall bladder months before.
Elkabbass’s deception was unearthed after the consultant oncologist, who gave her the all-clear just weeks before, discovered the scam page called ‘Nicole Needs Our Help Treatment’.
The doctor she claimed was in charge of her treatment, Filipe Suarez, didn’t exist, according to Spanish medical officials.
In November, a jury convicted Elkabbass, of Edge End Road, of fraud and possession of criminal property, namely charitable donations.
It returned majority verdicts of nine to one on two counts.
Judge Mark Weekes referred to Elkabbass as a "fantasist" and wanted to spread the message "far and wide" that the allegations against the doctors were a deceitful make-believe.
He said Elkabbass was convicted on "clear and compelling evidence" and told her to expect to be jailed when she is sentenced this week.
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