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A man who claimed to be a war veteran raising £500,000 for the charity Help for Heroes has been arrested in Cornwall on suspicion of fraud.
Matthew Browne said he was attempting to walk the entire UK coastline and claimed to have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed Mr Browne, 36, had been arrested on Sunday in relation to a suspected fraud committed in Newquay.
He was released on bail until May 2011.
A spokesman for the force said it was "suspected" that Mr Browne had been allegedly "masquerading" as a former war veteran and "hero of numerous campaigns".
He said officers wanted to piece together his movements around the country.
Injury claim Earlier this month Mr Browne, who said he was from Edinburgh, told the BBC in an interview that he was a former helicopter pilot who had served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also claimed to have been injured.
But the Ministry of Defence said that Mr Browne's only military service was 38 days with the Territorial Army.
Help for Heroes said that Mr Browne registered with the charity on 12 August.
But since then it has not been able to make contact with him and has no record of receiving funds from his event.
It said the matter was being taken very seriously.
A spokesman for the charity said cases like this "undermine the thousands of generous and committed fundraisers across the UK who have enabled Help for Heroes to commit £70m to provide practical and direct support to the wounded".
The charity raises money for servicemen and women wounded in the UK's current conflicts.
Despite attempts to contact him by the BBC, Mr Browne has not been available for comment.
Article BBC
A man who claimed to be a war veteran raising £500,000 for the charity Help for Heroes has been arrested in Cornwall on suspicion of fraud.
Matthew Browne said he was attempting to walk the entire UK coastline and claimed to have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed Mr Browne, 36, had been arrested on Sunday in relation to a suspected fraud committed in Newquay.
He was released on bail until May 2011.
A spokesman for the force said it was "suspected" that Mr Browne had been allegedly "masquerading" as a former war veteran and "hero of numerous campaigns".
He said officers wanted to piece together his movements around the country.
Injury claim Earlier this month Mr Browne, who said he was from Edinburgh, told the BBC in an interview that he was a former helicopter pilot who had served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also claimed to have been injured.
But the Ministry of Defence said that Mr Browne's only military service was 38 days with the Territorial Army.
Help for Heroes said that Mr Browne registered with the charity on 12 August.
But since then it has not been able to make contact with him and has no record of receiving funds from his event.
It said the matter was being taken very seriously.
A spokesman for the charity said cases like this "undermine the thousands of generous and committed fundraisers across the UK who have enabled Help for Heroes to commit £70m to provide practical and direct support to the wounded".
The charity raises money for servicemen and women wounded in the UK's current conflicts.
Despite attempts to contact him by the BBC, Mr Browne has not been available for comment.
Article BBC
