The family of local boy, Harry Kirkham, has welcomed the news that the former director of a charity has now pleaded guilty to fraud. The charity was managing thousands of pounds which had been raised for Harry’s rehabilitation, but the family raised the alarm when they realised something had happened to the money.
In 2016, nearly £60,000 was raised by friends and family of Harry, who has cerebral palsy and is now eight years old.
A portion of the money raised, £14,000, was intended to fund ongoing rehabilitation costs and was held by Bristol-based charity, the Darren Wright Foundation. The charity was set up by Scott Wright, whose brother Darren has cerebral palsy, to help families fundraise for therapy, medical treatment and specialist equipment.
However, when Harry’s family needed to access the funds, they were unable to do so. The police and Charity Commission both launched investigations into the charity following complaints from Harry’s family, and others affected.
Last month, Scott Wright, who was facing trial, changed his plea and admitted fraud. Bristol Crown Court heard that he unlawfully removed funds from the charity that were intended to help disabled children and adults – he will be sentenced in July.
Melissa Wright, Scott Wright’s wife, was also due to stand trial, however, the judge ordered that the charge against her should lie on her file and not be taken further at this stage.
“Scott Wright pleading guilty almost feels like a half justice as I would have liked them both to have taken responsibility for the actions,” said Harry’s mum Charlotte Deegan. “I still find it really sad that as a human you could be so cruel to anyone. But especially when a family are going through so much and asking for help, to offer it and then do the opposite seems despicable.
“In some ways I am disappointed with there being no trial as I wanted to hear all the evidence and find out what they had done with my son’s and others’ money.
“I don’t think we will get our money back – when I went to the Charity Commission I believed the money had already gone.”
The Charity Commission – which removed the charity from its register in April 2020 – has told Melksham News that its statutory inquiry into the Darren Wright Foundation is still ongoing and that it cannot comment on “the recovery of funds at this stage”.
“I look forward to reading the Charity Commission report,” said Charlotte, “it will be nice to have some answers to where the money went in the first place.”
A Charity Commission spokesperson told Melksham News, “The public expect charities to make a real positive difference for the people they help or the cause they pursue.
“Unfortunately, the Darren Wright Foundation, and those who were involved in it, betrayed their initial good intentions, and let down the families the charity existed to help. We welcome the guilty plea, and hope it provides a sense of justice to the families affected.
“Our statutory inquiry into the Darren Wright Foundation continues. We intend to publish our concluding report as soon as possible. We cannot comment further at this time.”
