Ex-Labour candidate charged cancer charity thousands for work he had not done

Martin Shipton

A solicitor who came within three votes of becoming a Labour member of Cardiff Council tried to steal thousands of pounds from a cancer charity by submitting fake invoices for work he had not carried out.

Michael Fogg, 47, of Cyncoed, Cardiff, stood for election to the authority in 2017 in the city’s Pentwyn ward, finishing just two votes behind a fellow Labour candidate who took a seat from the Liberal Democrats in the four-member ward.

A picture of Fogg with fellow Labour campaigners can still be accessed on Facebook.

Fogg offered his services to Cancer Research UK’s free will-writing scheme, but when the charity contacted people he claimed to represent, they said they had not used him to draft their wills.

Newport Crown Court heard that the money the charity lost as a result of Fogg’s actions could have paid for 48 biopsies.

He was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.

An investigation was launched by Cancer Research UK after email and postal addresses for Fogg’s clients were found to be non-existent.

Judge Carl Harrison told Fogg: “You had a position in the legal profession which allowed you to fund your greed.”

Cancer Research UK has been operating its scheme for 25 years, providing people with access to a free will-writing service. Solicitors used by the scheme can charge the charity £120 plus VAT for an individual will and £170 plus VAT for mirror wills, which replicate each other and can be used by couples.

Prosecutor Charles Archer told the court that Fogg and his company, Trusting Willpower Ltd, joined the free will service in 2021.

In July 2023, Cancer Research UK’s legal partnership manager, Kelly Brooks, raised concerns with counter-fraud manager Phil Sapey about the defendant’s services.

The charity provides thank-you cards to people who pledge more than £100 to it in their wills, but alarm bells rang when 32 cards were sent to individuals for whom Fogg claimed to have drafted wills.

Some of the people who received cards responded to say they had not had wills drafted by Fogg.

Fogg was asked for an explanation and said he had received instructions to prepare wills on behalf of the individuals concerned.

Trusting Willpower Ltd invoiced Cancer Research UK for £29,090. The charity had paid £18,150 to the company but withheld the remaining payments pending clarification.

The charity sent 250 emails to individuals for whom Trusting Willpower Ltd claimed to have written wills, but 58 were undeliverable, suggesting the email addresses were invalid.

Nine individuals responded, saying they had not used Fogg’s services and were not living at the addresses provided.

After further investigation, the charity attempted to contact more clients in relation to 260 wills.

Eight people responded, saying they had used the defendant’s services to write a will, but 41 said they had not done so.

Altogether, 172 clients were found to have invalid phone numbers, and 38 people had invalid email addresses.

The matter was reported to the police, and Fogg was arrested. In his police interview, he denied defrauding the charity and answered “no comment” to questions.

40 Invoices

Mr Archer said the total fraud was based on 40 invoices and amounted to £4,800. He added that the defendant’s behaviour amounted to an “abuse of trust and responsibility” as a solicitor.

The court heard that Fogg was of previous good character.

In a victim personal statement, Mr Sapey said Cancer Research UK received no benefit from the free will service and that the false claims made by Fogg represented funds that would have been used towards curing cancer and providing support to people diagnosed with the disease.

In mitigation, James Tucker said the charity’s work should be “applauded” and his client felt “deeply ashamed” of his behaviour.

Health issues

The barrister said Fogg was a family man and a parent with a number of health issues, including a brain injury, epilepsy, anxiety and depression. He no longer works as a solicitor.

Fogg, who pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation, was also ordered to complete a 24-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 120 hours of unpaid work.

Trusting Willpower was set up by Fogg in 2020. The company’s most recent accounts were filed for the year ending October 31, 2023, when its net assets were said to be just £134. The company, of which Fogg was the sole director, was dissolved in January 2025.