Bradford children's cancer charity founder 'stole £122,000'

The founder of a children's cancer charity has gone on trial accused of fraud and stealing £122,000 of donations.

Colin Nesbitt, 59, is alleged to have taken the money from the Little Heroes Cancer Trust.

He is also accused of defrauding the trust out of £345,000 and of supplying false or misleading information to the Charity Commission.

Mr Nesbitt, of Kent Road, Bingley, denies the charges.

Prosecutor James Lake told Bradford Crown Court Mr Nesbitt had "massively" under-declared the organisation's revenue and had paid about £345,000 into accounts not linked to the charity.

He said Mr Nesbitt had also given out two loans to members of staff and stolen more than £120,000 from the trusts account.

He told the court heard Mr Nesbitt had sole control of the charity's accounts and did not want other people banking cash from fundraising events.

Mr Lake said the offences came to light in October 2015 after it was discovered Mr Nesbitt had paid large sums of the charity's money into a "secret bank account".

When police were called in to investigate officers found about £12,500 in cash in a vehicle parked outside Mr Nesbitt's partner's home, he added.

"Plainly this money should all have been banked by the defendant and demonstrates, the prosecution say, how he ran this charity," Mr Lake said.

"He was using it as his own."

He went on to tell the jury that between July 2014 and May 2015, when Mr Nesbitt was in sole control of the finances, there were shortfalls between money being raised and money being banked.

The court heard that in interview Mr Nesbitt admitted his accountancy was "atrocious" but denied having opened "a secret bank account".

Matthew Donkin, on behalf of Mr Nesbitt, said the prosecution case was based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the workings of the charity and the businesses associated with it.

The trial continues.

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