Woman who helped organise Colston statue protest jailed for fraud

Xahra Saleem admitted offence relating to fundraiser for Bristol demonstration during which statue was dumped in harbour

A key organiser of the protest in Bristol during which a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston was toppled and dumped in the city’s harbour has been jailed for two and a half years for fraud.

Xahra Saleem, 23, admitted using more than £30,000 that was supposed to go to a charity for disadvantaged youngsters in the city and to fund her lifestyle, including spending almost £6,000 on Ubers.