THE mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan says she is sickened after a friend admitted stealing from a military charity that helps amputee servicemen and the families of the fallen.
Former soldier Paul Langthorpe, 47, was one of the founder members of The Yorkshire Warriors choir, which performs at venues across the county.
The group, which is made up of veterans, has recorded an album to raise cash for the Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Fund, a charity that helps injured troops, as well as the families of the dead.
Prior to a trial at Hull Crown Court, Langthorpe pleaded guilty to one count of theft and two counts of "using a false instrument with intent so it is to be accepted as genuine" – in this case, thank-you letters he had forged to cover his tracks.
Angie Stone, of Atwick, near Hornsea, became a registered collector for The Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Fund after her son, Private Gregg Stone, 20, was shot dead by the Taliban on a mission to rescue a kidnapped policeman in June 2012.
She said: "What Paul has done is despicable. This is a man who stood holding a picture of my dead son as he raised money for this absolutely fantastic charity.
"All he did was line his own pockets. It's about as low as you can get."
Langthorpe, of New Bridge Road, east Hull, stole £619 in donations following a gig performed by the choir at The Rampant Horse pub in Hall Road, Orchard Park, last August.
He had collected the sum of cash from the pub's landlord, Colin Edgecumbe, telling him he would hand the money to The Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Fund. No money was received by the charity.
When members of the choir became suspicious, Langthorpe, who served in The Yorkshire Regiment's predecessor, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, presented fake letters. He told police he had posted the cash to the charity and forged the letters to get others off his back.
Mrs Stone said: "Paul produced these two letters that were obviously totally fictitious.
"No one had even heard of the character they were supposed to be from. His name was spelled differently in both letters."
Langthorpe attended the funeral of Private Stone and his sister, Jennie, 28, who was killed in a car crash in Fraisethorpe, near Bridlington, in February 2013.
Mrs Stone recorded a poem, at Langthorpe's request, describing a mother's pride for her fallen son on the choir's debut album .
She said: "Paul put his arms around me and gave me a hug and we talked about Gregg. He has even been to my family's house. We all took him to our hearts.
"I cried when I found out what he had done. I feel betrayed by someone I thought was my friend."
Mrs Stone said the choir was rocked to its core by Langthorpe's actions, but recently performed a "comeback" gig, raising £200 for the charity.
Langthorpe is due to be sentenced on May 28 at Hull Crown Court.
