Leeds fundraising fraudster who told cancer lies has Olympic torch seized to pay for his crimes

Ex-soldier Simon Bucken was invited to take part in the 2012 Olympic torch relay through Leeds after he duped people into believing he was a brave campaigner and war hero.

During that event Buckden, who also lied about being in the SAS, got down on one knee and proposed to his then girlfriend.

Bucken, 46, was jailed for 16 months in November 2016 for telling “sickening” lies about suffering from rectal cancer which led to him receiving donations including a £2,000 holiday.

He conned victims into giving him money and providing services free of charge after they believed his false claims about suffering from cancer.

Buckden attracted national publicity and was even praised in Parliament by then Prime Minister David Cameron during the deception.

Buckden’s case was returned to Leeds Crown Court yesterday for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

The court heard Buckden had benefited to the tune of £8,237 as a result of his offending.

West Yorkshire Police financial investigator Lisa Dennell told the court Buckden had enough assets to re-pay the sum in full.

His assets include the Olympic torch which has a market value of around £4,000.

The court heard the torch has already been seized by police.

Judge Christopher Batty ordered Buckden to pay the amount within three months or face up to four months in prison.

Buckden, of Landseer Way, Bramley, failed to attend the hearing.

Judge Batty ordered that the hearing go ahead after the case had been adjourned on a number of previous occasion throughout 2018 as Buckden claimed he was too ill to attend court.

The judge said Buckden had failed to provide medical evidence to support his claims.

Buckden’s barrister, Nicoletta Alistari, said she had not received any instructions from him as he had failed to respond to phone calls and e-mails.

After Buckden was sentenced in 2016, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Swift, who led the investigation, said: “Simon Buckden created an elaborate fantasy image of himself as a battle-scarred SAS hero and cancer sufferer to exploit the goodwill and support of a number of people over a long period of time.

“He lied repeatedly, not only to those closest to him but to genuine survivors of trauma and also to the media and the wider public through the extensive publicity he sought to satisfy his own self-importance.

“He seems to have revelled in the sympathy and status that those lies afforded him.

“The monetary gains he made from this deception were not particularly significant but the sense of betrayal his victims and others have felt has been enormous. We hope they will take some comfort from seeing him now have to answer for his actions.”