Charity staff face theft charges

The air ambulance needs £65,000 a month to run

Three members of the Cornwall Air Ambulance charity are to appear before a crown court charged with theft.

They face charges over alleged thefts of up to £75 from collection boxes.

Charity chief executive Margarette Worden, 62, team director Richard Taylor, 40, and office manager Linzi Jones, 31, all deny the charges.

The three, from Tregeare, West Downs, Delabole, were committed by magistrates in Bodmin to appear at Truro Crown Court next January.

Public donations

Margarette Worden, who in August pleaded not guilty to the theft of a total of £29.95 from the trust which funds the Cornwall Air Ambulance, was committed on Tuesday to appear for a preliminary hearing at Truro Crown Court on 27 January.

Two other members of the charity's staff, Ms Worden's son, Richard Taylor, and his girlfriend, Linzi Jones, were also committed to the crown court.

The defendants all had their unconditional bail enlarged.

Ms Worden, who has been awarded an MBE for her fund-raising work, was originally arrested on April 21 before being charged with six counts of theft.

Mr Taylor faces seven counts of theft for allegedly stealing a total of £37.01 from the charity, and Ms Jones faces one count of stealing £7.06.

The charges date from between 5 May 2004 and 20 April 2005.

The air ambulance service costs about £65,000 a month to run. Its funding is all obtained from donations from members of the public and local organisations.