A key organiser of the Black Lives Matter protest that led to the toppling of Edward Colston’s statue has confessed to committing fraud, as £30,000 in donations from supporters mysteriously disappeared. Xahra Saleem pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of power, as the money she raised on her GoFundMe page, which was supposed to go to youth charity Changing Your Mindset Ltd went straight into her pocket instead. The charity has since closed down…

The first charge blasts Saleem for her position in which she was supposed “to safeguard or not act against the financial interests of ABL Bristol”. Instead, she “dishonestly abused that position intending to make a gain, namely used the funds raised for [herself].” Saleem also allegedly swiped money from a second fundraiser page intended to cover the legal expenses of individuals facing charges following the protest. She’s pictured here outside the court…