A terminally ill fundraiser who claimed to have close celebrity contacts to gain the trust of a charity for terminally ill children stole a laptop , sat nav and phone from the organisation . Simon Mitchell , 44 , stole the expensive equipment from Donna 's Dream House , a charity for terminally ill children based in Blackpool , Lancashire . Following a three year investigation the volunteer worker admitted stealing a laptop and TomTom satnav from the charity - despite the fact he was meant to be helping the charity by raising its profile following a devastating arson attack in 2011 . Terminally ill fundraiser Simon Mitchell , 44 , ( pictured left with Richard Hammond and right with Katie Price ) stole from Donna 's Dream House , a charity for terminally ill children based in Blackpool , Lancashire . The charity also say Mitchell repeatedly let them down and left them picking up the pieces when meetings with his supposed star-studded contacts failed to materialise . Mitchell had been given the laptop and a phone to use by the Dream House when he volunteered for them but did not return them after he left the charity . He pleaded guilty to two counts of theft at Preston Crown Court where he was due to stand trial after a three-year criminal investigation . Len Curtis , chairman of the charity which provides holidays for sick and needy children , said following the hearing : 'He came to us immediately after the fire , when we were very vulnerable and needed help . 'We were taking people on face value without running our usual CRB checks and we allowed him to get involved because he claimed to know all of these famous people . 'He was a volunteer and his role was meant to be fundraising and raising the charity 's profile through all these great contacts he claimed to have . 'But it soon became apparent something was n't right . Mitchell on his wedding day with wife Kerrie - he has now pleaded guilty to two counts of theft . 'It is soul destroying when the trust you place in someone is betrayed . ' The theft from Donna 's Dream House came just months after Mitchell made headlines claiming to be carrying out a 'bucket list ' of good deeds to complete after revealing his own lung cancer diagnosis and desire to raise cash for poorly children . In 2012 Mitchell , with the help of different charities , arranged for two sick youngsters to meet celebrities such as the cast of Top Gear and Katie Price , saying his aim was to raise £100,000 in the two years he was told he had left . But Mr Curtis said Donna 's Dream House was left red-faced and out of pocket after a 'Top Gear Day ' Mitchell was supposed to organise never happened despite the trust auctioning it as a prize . The charity ended up having to reimburse the disappointed winner . The theft came just months after Mitchell made headlines claiming to be carrying out a 'bucket list ' of good deeds ( he is pictured with The Stig ) 'He even left the people waiting at the train station for people who did n't turn up , ' the chairman said , adding there had been a similar occasion with a Ferrari experience that never materialised . He said the two failed events had cost the charity around £6,500 to put right . Mr Curtis said Mitchell 's thefts only came to light when satellite navigations firm TomTom contacted them to check the charity had received their donation of a sat nav - which Mitchell had kept for himself . Mr Curtis said : We did n't see this coming . He was only with us for a few months but this has had a detrimental effect on us . Mr Curtis said they pursued legal action to make people aware of Mitchell and what he was doing in case he tried to steal from another charity . He added : ' I would urge all charities to show due diligence when accepting offers of support particularly at vulnerable times . ' Mitchell pleaded guilty to stealing a mobile phone and laptop computer , worth around £540 , from the Dream House between New Year 's Day and September 1 , 2012 . He also admitted stealing the sat nav . He is due to be sentenced at Preston Crown Court next month . Mr Curtis added : 'He would promise people things with these celebrities in exchange for goods and services . But when he failed to deliver they never finished the work . 'There were just the odd small things that he did deliver . ' I think he 's a fantasist , he just fantasised that he had all these great contacts . ' I do n't think he 's an evil person , I just think he totally believes his own lies . 'He lied and he lied to us and to himself . '
Terminally ill Simon Mitchell , 44 , stole laptop and satnav from charity . He volunteered as a fundraiser for children 's charity Donna 's Dream House . Mitchell has pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud under investigation . Charity 's founder mark Mitchell is a ' celebrity ' who claimed to have celebrity contacts but repeatedly turned charity down - costing them £ 6,500 .