Children’s charity founders appeal trustee bans following investigation

The founders of the Dot Com Children’s Foundation, Sharon Doughty and Neil Evans, are appealing against bans preventing them from serving as trustees or senior managers for any charity in England and Wales. The Charity Commission disqualified them in October 2023 following a regulatory probe prompted by an investigation by The Times.
The investigation revealed serious governance issues at the children’s education charity. According to The Times, there were allegations concerning the management of funds, specifically the misuse of charitable donations for personal benefit. The probe indicated that significant sums raised by the Dot Com Children’s Foundation were diverted to associated businesses controlled by Doughty and Evans.
The charity, Miss Dorothy[dot]com, established in 2001 with a stated mission to educate children about abuse, saw its funds improperly channeled. Between 2000 and 2008, the charity collected £239,000, but the majority of this money was directed towards the founders’ linked companies, generating substantial revenue with minimal support returned to the charitable entity itself. The Times reported that Doughty and Evans each received approximately £1 million from these operations.
Furthermore, the investigation highlighted the alleged use of charity funds for personal luxury items. This included the purchase of a designer gold ballroom dress for Doughty, which was worn at a fundraising event attended by notable figures like Tony Blair and members of Strictly Come Dancing. The Times also detailed that a community interest company associated with the main charity was later liquidated, with the liquidator’s report confirming the misappropriation of funds.
The Charity Commission disqualified Doughty for four and a half years and Evans for three and a half years, citing their conduct as damaging to public trust and confidence in charities. The commission’s full findings report remains unpublished pending the outcome of their appeal.

Source: Read the original report