A MOTHER has spoken of the "immeasurable stress" caused by a woman who defrauded thousands of pounds from the charity founded by her late daughter. 

Vicky Pyne is disgusted at how Haley McTaggart cheated Alice's Escapes out of thousands of pounds. 

The charity, which provides holidays for seriously-ill children and their families, was set up by Alice Pyne, who died aged 17, in January 2013 after battling Hodgkin's lymphoma.    

McTaggart, 33, pleaded guilty at Carlisle Crown Court to fraudulently selling raffle tickets for a bogus raffle in June 2013 which had no prizes in the name of Alice’s Escapes, but no money was handed to the charity. 

The defendant of Cambridge Road, Whitehaven, also admitted failing to pay £2,000 to the charity, which was meant to be for a fundraising expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.   

Ulverston's Alice Pyne, a Pride of Britain winner, set up her charity to give seriously ill children and their families a break. 

Alice passed away just weeks before her first caravan arrived at Bardsea Leisure Park. Alice's family and friends run the charity as her legacy.  

Mrs Pyne said: "Haley has caused immeasurable stress to me on a personal level. She's insisted on being innocent all this time, only offering a guilty plea at the eleventh hour, which offers little consolation to me. I can only hope that her previous convictions are considered when deciding her sentence on March 7. 

"Thankfully, people like Haley are in the minority, but I hope this serves as a warning to anyone who thinks they are above the law - the charity law is clear and we will always take action to protect Alice's legacy."

The crown court heard she told the charity bosses that she was unable to transfer the money due to a banking error and therefore persuaded Alice's Escapes to pay so she could go.

McTaggart also pleaded guilty to the theft of £300 in cash.

During a hearing on Monday, McTaggart's barrister Clare Thomas said: "She has paid back all the money and has raised a significant amount of money for the charity."

McTaggart will now be sentenced on two counts of fraud and the theft, by a crown court judge on March 7. 

Judge Peter Davies told McTaggart that all options were available.