A Harold Wood woman has admitted fraud in connection with a fundraising page initially set up relating to the protest that toppled slave trader Edward Colston's statue in Bristol.

Xahra Saleem, 23, of Briars Walk, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position after an investigation into a fundraiser linked to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Avon and Somerset Police investigated a GoFundMe page called 'BristBLM' initially set up for the demonstration on June 7 2020 after £30,000 raised from donors went missing.

The fundraiser was intended to raise cash for Changing Your Mindset, which was a Bristol youth group, but it was never received.

Saleem initially entered not guilty pleas to two charges of fraud.

The second charge related to a separate online fundraising page set up in the days following the toppling of the statue of Colston in June 2020, called 'Bristol Protesters Legal Fees'.

A trial was listed for December - but Saleem appeared at Bristol Crown Court on September 19 to change her plea to guilty for the first charge. The second charge was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service.

She will return to Bristol Crown Court to be sentenced on October 31.

Reporting by SWNS.