'In true spirit of Christmas I'll double the value of items bought by defrauding me'
Items paid for using money illegally obtained will now help struggling families
Last updated 14th Dec 2022
A West Country pharmacy chain owner says he wants to make 'something good happen' from what he calls a 'horrendous crime' after he was defrauded of more than £1.3 million.
At the start of this month Darren Mackenzie, 41, of Minehead, was given five years and eight months in jail after he pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of a position of trust.
Pharmacy chain owner Manraj Singh Punni says he's since been approached by people 'ashamed and sometimes in tears' who wanted to return items they were given by the defendant - as they did not realise how they were funded.
He's now offering to double the value of items returned to help local charities in the 'true spirit of Christmas'.
Mr Punni, 48, who now runs 12 pharmacies across Devon, Somerset and Bristol, spoke about the impact of the fraud and how it could have put jobs at risk - saying his colleague of 20 years lived a secret lavish lifestyle 'like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman' after her character was given money and immediately started buying designer clothes.
He told the court the 'abuse of trust' involved money paid by the NHS to help people in deprived rural areas being used to fund a lifestyle of 'greed and extravagance'.
Mr Punni hopes the returned items will help families as they struggle this Christmas and believes some of those with designer items were 'innocent recipients' of the gifts.
He says says items can be returned anonymously to Alcombe Pharmacy in Minehead.