Britain's 'kindest' plumber has had his national grant rescinded aft the trader faked stories astir helping susceptible radical and pocketed £10,000 successful donations.
James Anderson, 56, was fixed the honour successful 2023 for his enactment giving boilers and escaped plumbing services to those successful need.
Anderson, from Burnley, Lancashire runs Depher – which stands for Disabled and Elderly, Plumbing and Heating Emergency Response – and regularly posted connected societal media astir repairing and replacing breached boilers escaped of charge.
But a BBC probe claimed that the institution faked stories of helping radical arsenic it raised thousands of pounds successful donations.
Now British Citizen Awards has rescinded their award, stating that accusation astir the plumber which has travel to airy does not align with their values.
James Anderson has been hailed arsenic 'Britain's kindest plumber' and received awards for his enactment helping susceptible radical but a BBC probe claimed the plumber utilized fake stories
Anderson went viral with his societal media posts during the outgo of surviving situation , successful which helium performs inferior services for the aged and susceptible without charge
Anderson went viral aft societal media stories of his foundation enactment went viral during the UK's cost of living crisis.
Anderson's institution became known for including fitting boilers for the aged and carrying retired plumbing enactment for free.
But a BBC probe accused him of peddling lies and exploiting the susceptible arsenic helium made £2million successful donations from the nationalist arsenic good arsenic stars including Lily Allen and Hugh Grant who donated £75,000.
Anderson was adjacent accused of making up claims helium saved an 84-year-old pistillate from sidesplitting herself and publicising clients' backstage accusation contempt them refusing him permission.
A spokesperson for the British Citizen Awards told the BBC: 'We pridefulness ourselves successful recognising individuals crossed the UK who enactment tirelessly and selflessly to marque a affirmative interaction connected their communities and charities.'
They added that the plumber's actions didn't bespeak their values and confirmed his accolade had been rescinded.
When precocious challenged by the BBC and GB News astir the posts he's allegedly faked, he didn't springiness an explanation, but denied utilizing the raised money for his ain benefit.
However helium told GB News: 'I'm lone human, I'm doing the champion I can.'
Speaking connected the channel, helium said: 'I deliberation successful hindsight I've done excessively overmuch excessively speedy connected my own, alternatively of getting successful different radical to assistance maine and enactment me. Saying that, it's nary excuse. But contiguous has been precise horrendous for me.'
Following the BBC's revelations, the Fundraising Regulator has opened an probe into the plumber's institution to determine whether Depher breached sectioned of the codification of Fundraising Practice.
Elements of the codification see being legal, transparent, and respectful.
The expected do-gooder has recovered himself successful the centre of a BBC probe which claims helium exploited the vulnerable. He admitted to making mistakes during an interrogation connected GB News
The 56-year-old was accused of making up claims helium saved an 84-year-old pistillate from sidesplitting herself
His institution Depher was said to person posted videos and photos of a antheral successful his 90s much than 20 times that included accusation astir his sexuality adjacent though helium said 'God no' erstwhile asked if helium would hold to beryllium filmed
Other fundraising platforms person said that they volition co-operate with the investigation.
A Crowdfunder connection said: 'We promote each task owners to beryllium perfectly transparent astir their aims and what they volition walk funds raised on.'
While JustGiving said it took immoderate allegations of wrongdoing 'extremely seriously'.
The Charity Comission confirmed that it had refused applications by Depher to go a foundation 3 times from 2020 to 2023.
While their 2020 exertion was incomplete, the Charity committee rejected 2 further attempts aft concluding that the plumbing institution was not charitable and did not judge the services provided by Anderson 'met a charitable need'.
The Burnley plumber landed himself successful blistery h2o aft posts connected societal media astir his bully enactment were debunked.
A station from June 12, 2022, showed a pistillate with her look covered adjacent to Anderson with the caption: 'Shared with permission. A lady, 84 years aged rang @DepherUK & spoke to myself, she was upset and desperate. She lived 53 miles distant successful #Preston. I thrust arsenic accelerated arsenic I could, erstwhile successful got determination she had a Noose acceptable to perpetrate suicide. All she wanted was blistery water! #costoflivingcrisis.'
The plumber has present had his British Citizen Award rescinded aft the foundation said his actions did not align with their values pursuing revelations implicit his behaviour including lying astir his foundation enactment connected societal media
Anderson went viral connected societal media and his enactment attracted the attraction of celebrities including Lily Allen and Hugh Grant (pictured) who donated £75,000 to his institution Depher
Anderson has been accused of mis-characterising connected of his societal media posts wherever helium claimed to person saved a pensioner but the fireplace belonged to a 39-year-old begetter of two
The pistillate really died successful February 2020, the BBC said.
What are the allegations acceptable retired successful the BBC report?
- Depher recycling the aforesaid photos successful misleading and mendacious posts, including utilizing the representation of a dormant woman
- A unfortunate of home abuse, who was pictured connected societal media with her young kid and baby, was accused of theft
- Depher funds were utilized to acquisition a house
- Buying a car with institution cash
- Depher posted video and images of a susceptible antheral successful his 90s successful fundraising posts much than 20 times - contempt him pleading 'no' to being filmed
- Personal accusation was published including his worries astir being targeted for being gay
- Employee smoking a cigaret adjacent to a leaking boiler
The woman's girl told the broadcaster the post's claims were 'a implicit lie' and made it look Anderson was 'using susceptible radical similar my parent arsenic a money-making machine'.
Anderson admitted the station was mendacious and apologised to the household but denied putting the representation online himself.
The aforesaid representation was posted online 7 times betwixt February 2021 and August 2023, with varying ages and locations, the BBC reported.
In different case, Depher was said to person posted videos and photos of a antheral successful his 90s much than 20 times that included accusation astir his sexuality adjacent though helium said 'God no' erstwhile asked if helium would hold to beryllium filmed.
In different lawsuit a home maltreatment unfortunate was allegedly pictured online with her kid and accused of theft contempt nary grounds being provided.
Anderson has besides been publicly accused of wrongly characterising 1 of his moving societal media stories - arsenic alternatively than an endangered pensioner, the fireplace successful question really belongs to a disgruntled 39-year-old begetter of 2 who says helium had to telephone retired Mr Anderson's institution to repair a insignificant fault.
However, determination are concerns implicit immoderate of the promotion worldly helium uses to promote radical to donate to his Community Interest Company.
On April 5 DEPHER's authoritative X relationship posted a photograph of a coal-effect state occurrence with the message: 'This occurrence was allowing #carbonmonoxide into the surviving country of a 87 twelvemonth aged gentleman.
'He said "I'm acold and request my fire, but erstwhile I crook it on, it makes maine bushed and sick."
'We attended immediately, a afloat and FREE SERVICE, was carried out, it is present afloat safe, and helium volition unrecorded for galore much years.'
Anderson admitted the station astir an 84-year-old pistillate was mendacious and apologised to the household but denied putting the representation online himself. the woman had died successful 2020 the BBC revealed
However, MailOnline has discovered that alternatively than a fortunate octogenarian, the occurrence is pridefulness of spot successful the surviving country of a overmuch younger businessman, his woman and 2 children.
They person asked to stay anonymous but unrecorded adjacent to Mr Anderson's office successful Burnley, Lancashire.
The unnamed businessman said: 'I don't cognize immoderate 87-year-old man, whoever helium is, helium surely doesn't unrecorded successful this house. And that is decidedly not his fireplace. It's mine.
'The institution sent idiosyncratic retired connected April 5 to hole the occupation but charged maine a £40 telephone retired interest which annoyed maine arsenic it was their responsibility successful the archetypal place.
'But what irritated maine adjacent much was aboriginal successful the time erstwhile I was relaxing astatine location and scrolling done societal media.
'I noticed that DEPHER's authoritative X relationship had posted a cropped representation of my fireplace and told their followers that it belonged to an 87-year-old antheral who'd they'd reached successful the nick of clip and saved him from Carbon Monoxide fumes.
'I treble checked it and it was decidedly my fireplace.
'Why James Anderson posted specified a message, I person perfectly nary idea, but I instantly replied connected X with a photograph of my fireplace and called him retired connected it and I phoned the institution the adjacent day. But thing was ever done and the connection was inactive up until precise recently.'
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