Former Chesterfield charity Kids 'n' Cancer remains under investigation six years on

The charity has been under investigation by the Charity Commission since March 2017, when the founders were arrested on suspicion of theft.

Mike Hyman, who helped set up Kids ‘n’ Cancer, and his wife June were arrested in relation to a fraud investigation surrounding the charity. Criminal charges were dropped last year after it was determined Mr Hayman was ‘not fit to stand trial’ – but the Charity Commission has told the Derbyshire Times that they are continuing to investigate ‘serious concerns’ about the management of the charity.

A spokesperson for the Commission said: “Our inquiry into Kids ‘n’ Cancer remains ongoing. We don’t comment or provide timescales on ongoing inquiries.”

When pushed as to why the investigation had taken so long, the spokesperson said they wouldn’t be commenting further.

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Mr Hyman co-founded Kids ‘n’ Cancer in 2010. It was based at the Bridge Business Centre on Beresford Way. Following his arrest, the Charity Commission froze the charity’s assets and opened a statutory inquiry on March 15, 2017.

The charity aimed to provide assistance and financial support to children seeking cancer treatment and to assist with the overseas costs of therapies that weren’t available in the UK.

The Commission had previously been in contact with the charity in 2014 over ‘weaknesses in the charity’s administration’. When announcing their investigation in 2017 the Commission said there were ‘clear and ongoing regulatory issues’ relating to the financial controls of the charity. Kids ‘n’ Cancer was formally dissolved in 2018.

Last March, five years after My Hyman and his wife were arrested, it was concluded that it was ‘not in the public interest’ for criminal proceedings to be brought against the pair.

As reported, a Derbyshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “A full file of evidence was submitted to the CPS in relation to the activities of the charity. In addition to the evidence relating to the alleged offences, the CPS has considered independent expert reports relating to the fitness of one of the suspects to stand trial.

“The CPS have determined that the suspect’s current health is such that he is not fit to stand trial. As a consequence, the CPS has concluded that it is not in the public interest for criminal proceedings to be brought.”