Travel firm chief is accused of fleecing thousands from wounded heroes’ bike ride charity
POLICE are investigating the alleged theft by a travel company of tens of thousands of pounds from a charity for injured veterans founded by Special Forces servicemen.
The charity, Pilgrim Bandits, had paid Black Tip Travel Ltd for flights with the Emirates airline to New Zealand for a fundraising cycle ride.
Among t hose on t he t rip was Britain’s most injured serviceman, Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, a double amputee who is still serving with the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.
The veterans taking part in the ride were told only two days before they were due to fly out in October that the tickets for the 22- strong party had not been booked, despite the charity having paid for them weeks in advance.
Black Tip Travel, based in Tonbridge, denies any wrongdoing and says it was unable to provide the tickets because of ‘simple errors’.
Kent Police have confirmed they are investigating the allegations of theft.
L/Bdr Parkinson, 34, was injured in Afghanistan in 2006 when his Land Rover went over an anti-tank mine, and he now needs 24-hour care.
His mother, Diane Dernie, is a trustee for Pilgrim Bandits and told The Mail on Sunday they used Black Tip Travel because sole director Dale Whitney, 34, was so ‘persuasive and charming’. She added: ‘He said there’d been a mix-up with Emirates. At the crunch time he said there were no tickets. He didn’t give an explanation as such. He said the business had been struggling.’
Pilgrim Bandits had to dip into funds set aside for a planned trip to the Yukon next year to buy tickets for the flights. The veterans successfully rode 1,521 miles the length of New Zealand’s North Island and South Island on modified tandems.
Ms Dernie added that her son had been protected from the stress of the uncertainty over the tickets before he flew out and took part in the ride.
She said: ‘ He says it’s the best thing he’s ever done in his life! That’s testament to those who pulled it out of the bag in the most amazing way.’
She is furious with Mr Whitney, saying: ‘Injured soldiers have incredible support from people in this country, and yet this man has done this to them. There are no words. He’s the lowest of the low.’
There was no sign of Mr Whitney when The Mail on Sunday tried to contact him at his £300,000 semidetached home in Tonbridge or at the offices of Black Tip Travel, just off the town’s High Street, last week.
A statement on the company website said: ‘Black Tip Travel Ltd is currently undergoing some issues and we are trying to work through these as quickly as possible. We are currently getting insolvency advice so we can work through these problems.’
Last night a police spokesman said: ‘Kent Police is investigating an allegation of theft concerning a business in Tonbridge.
‘A 34-year-old man from Tonbridge was arrested on suspicion of theft on December 2 and has been released pending further enquiries.’
Additional reporting: Nigel Bunyan