Woman who lied she had cancer so she could stop showing up at children's charity job she used fake references to get is jailed for two years

Published: 14:47, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 14:51, 2 July 2026 A woman who conned her way into a job at a children's cancer charity before lying about having the disease herself so she could stop coming to work has been jailed for two years. Claire Alderton, 48, told the 'truly abhorrent' lies to her employers at George's Rockstars, which was set up when the founder's son died of leukaemia. She had provided two fake references to secure the job at the charity in June 2024. Her role was to apply for grants for the charity, which she told bosses she had successfully done.  Six months later in December 2024, Alderton told her employer that she had been diagnosed with cancer and stopped attending work. However, this was a lie made up by Alderton to allow her not to show up. She then stopped responding to any contact from the charity.    A fraud investigation was launched and Alderton has now been jailed for two years for her heartless ‘deception’.  Claire Alderton, 48, lied about having cancer so that she could stop coming into her work at a children's cancer charity At Portsmouth Crown Court, Alderton was jailed for two years for her 'truly abhorrent' deception Alderton's 'appalling' lies were spotted when bosses tried to track her down after she disappeared and cut off contact. The charity contacted the foundation that Alderton said she had secured a grant from, only to find out that no application had ever been made. They then made contact with Alderton's referees through LinkedIn, who informed them that they did not write the references she had provided, and that the emails which were allegedly from them were fake. Alderton was arrested, charged and admitted to committing fraud by false representation, in dishonestly providing two false references to gain employment at a charity, intending to make a financial gain for herself. She appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court where she was jailed for two years. Amy O'Shaughnessy, co-founded the Hampshire-based charity after losing her son George to leukaemia in 2019. Speaking about Alderton, she said: 'To target charities, secure employment through deception, and fabricate a cancer diagnosis to the mother and founder of an organisation established in memory of a child who bravely fought that very disease is truly abhorrent. 'Furthermore, to falsify funding applications meant to support seriously ill children in hospitals is a profound betrayal of public trust. 'George's Rockstars was created to preserve my son's legacy and provide music therapy to families navigating their darkest hours in hospitals. While our services face immense demand, I have had to work tirelessly simply to prevent his legacy from going under due to her fraudulent actions. 'We have fought incredibly hard to ensure that, despite the gravity of this deception, our support for children and families remains uninterrupted. 'Personally, uncovering the sheer depth of these lies has been emotionally devastating. A custodial sentence is the absolute least she deserves for exploiting the charity sector and the vulnerabilities of a grieving family. 'We are deeply grateful to the police and the justice system for their rigorous work in ensuring accountability and securing this conviction.' PC Emma Thomas from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police said: 'I am pleased with this result and to see Alderton put behind bars for her actions. 'To knowingly and purposefully target the charity sector for personal gain is an appalling crime and one for which Alderton deserved to face justice for. 'Her actions have caused both financial and emotional suffering, and I hope that prison gives her time to reflect on the consequences of her choices.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.