A high-profile installer who made news headlines by completing work for free has been accused of using ‘faked’ social media posts.
Burnley-based James Anderson, who has raised funds for and helped vulnerable households with heating repairs and provisions, admitted to mistakes following a BBC News investigation found ‘faked stories of kindness’ this week – but also blamed online trolling.
“I know I’ve done it wrong. I apologise. But what can I do?”, he was quoted as saying.
The BBC report said his Community Interest Company DEPHER had used video and image content without consent during the fundraising, which peaked during the pandemic and cost-of-living crises, with television appearances and celebrities including Hugh Grant among those to reportedly donate.
Prior to the report, James Anderson posted on Facebook: “They (the BBC) will show warranted questions about safeguarding and pictures, mistakes that have been made over the years, mistakes that have now been apologised for and training is now in place to stop it from happening again. Also about how we spend our income, what we pay for etc.
“There are questions that they have asked me about my personal life, that have unfortunately come from online criminal trolls.”