Charity shame

arlo Abbonizio, 37, from Yeadon, and two other men exploited the goodwill of already hard-pressed companies to sell advertising space and only donated a fraction to the good causes they claimed to represent. For this, as well as for aggressive debt recovery, all three men deserved lengthy bans from the Insolvency Service.

What is difficult to know, however, is the scale of such a profitable and unpleasant industry. It is clearly an area where tougher laws could be appropriate and the insolvency authorities and the Government should work together to see if there is anything more to be done to combat it.

Businessmen of this nature are the scourge of generous Britons who have tried to remain supportive of charities through the recession. Their selfish work has made life harder for all the good causes which rely on a trusting public to help save and improve the lives of millions of under-privileged people around the world.