A FATHER accused of theft and fraud in relation to children's charities started fundraising once he saw his "fanatical" approach to holistic treatment had begun to work in his son's cancer treatment, a court has heard.
Kevin Wright, 49, supplemented his son Bobby's NHS treatment for neuroblastoma with a variety of therapies that he had spent hours researching and visited several countries to find out more.
Wright, formerly of Kenn near Exeter but who now has addresses in Tiverton and Quince Amington, in Tamworth, used machinery to purify the air at home, steam saunas, and a light machine to try to help treat his son's illness.
A DVD was played to Nottingham Crown Court, where Wright is on trial accused of 10 counts of theft and four counts of fraud, of an address he gave to the Cancer Control Society Convention in California in 2007 in which he detailed the holistic approach he had taken.
Jurors also saw a picture of Bobby with Uri Geller as part of the presentation Wright gave.
Wright denies 10 counts of theft, three counts of fraud by false representation, and one count of fraud by abuse of position. Prosecutors allege he raised hundreds of thousands for the charities but some of that money went into his bank account to fund his "interests and personal lifestyle".
He was originally charged with 20 counts but six of those have now been dropped. One of those charges was a charge of converting criminal property with which Wright's 43-year-old wife Jacqueline was also charged. Judge Greg Dickenson QC directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict for both defendants because prosecutors could not prove how much was raised legitimately.
The trial continues.
