The Northern Echo asked shoppers in Darlington if they were backing the Butterwick following this week's court case

The Northern Echo: Valerie Hauxwell

Valerie Hauxwell, 34, of Darlington, said: “The charity shouldn’t be punished just because one person did something wrong. The hospice is much bigger than that and I know it does a lot of work which helps people in the area. I use their charity shops quite a lot to support them.”

The Northern Echo: Robert Smiles

Robert Smiles, 67, of Darlington, said: “It wouldn’t stop me from supporting the hospice at all. I don’t think you can judge the organisation on the actions of just one person. There was only one man involved in the case.”

The Northern Echo: Jaeden Lyth

Jaeden Lyth, 27, of Darlington, said: “The hospice should definitely be supported, I used to work for a charity but because it wasn’t receiving funding it closed, which is happening in a lot of places. There are some really good people working for charities who want to make a difference and this was just the actions of one man.”

The Northern Echo: Kerry Slater

Kerry Slater, 43, of Darlington, said: “It still helps a lot of people, people shouldn’t stop supporting it. I use their charity shops because hospices are important and need help from the public.”

The Northern Echo: Judith Sellers

Judith Sellers, 76, of Heighington, said: “I work for Age UK in Cockerton so I believe charities need supporting. Butterwick Hospice is one of the big ones and it’s terrible the hospice has lost so much money because of this. I believe we should absolutely keep supporting it.”

The Northern Echo: Anthony Pinnegar

Anthony Pinnegar, 43, of Darlington, said: “You can’t stop supporting the hospice because it’s not the hospice that has made the mistake. This was the actions of just one individual. I think there’s so many people that work for the organisation that are amazing and work really hard.”