Scotland Yard drop abuse probe into failed charity Kids Company

By The Press Association29th January 2016News EnglandChild Abuse, Kids Company, News England, Sexual Abuse

Scotland Yard has dropped an investigation into reports of physical and sexual abuse linked to failed charity Kids Company.

Detectives found no evidence of criminality within 32 pieces of information or intelligence which would reach the threshold to justify a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service, the Metropolitan Police announced.

A spokesman for the force added: “Nor have we identified any failings by the charity in respect of them carrying out their duty to safeguard children or vulnerable adults.”

The Met launched an inquiry into reports of physical and sexual abuse in July “following the receipt of information from a journalist”.

Detectives from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command identified 32 pieces of information or intelligence relating to a period between 2008 and 2015.

These reports concerned allegations or information relating to children and staff based at the charity, the force said, adding: “However, the majority were third-party reports which were vague in detail.”

Officers carried out “detailed and extensive inquiries” to establish the veracity of the information, speaking to a number of individuals connected to the charity. No-one was arrested or interviewed under caution in connection with the investigation.

An incident which had previously been investigated by police and resulted in a “male adult service user” of the charity receiving a three-month suspended sentence for assaulting a member of staff was included within the reports.

The Met spokesman added: “Aside from this case, to date the Met has identified no evidence of criminality within the 32 reports which would reach the threshold to justify a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service.

“Nor have we identified any failings by the charity in respect of them carrying out their duty to safeguard children or vulnerable adults.

“As such, the Met investigation into potential physical and sexual abuse has now concluded, although, as with any investigation, should any further information come to light it will be fully considered.”

Kids Company is also the subject of an investigation by the Charity Commission.

Police said a referral process is in place with the commission should any evidence of criminality be revealed as a result of their inquiries, adding that there is currently no investigation by the Met into allegations of fraud against the charity.

Founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh in 1996 to offer counselling, support and art therapy to disadvantaged youngsters in Lambeth and Southwark, Kids Company was widely praised for its innovative approach and received a total of at least £42 million from central government and £4 million from local authorities and lottery bodies.

However, it folded amid a storm of controversy in August 2015 – just six days after receiving a £3 million grant in a final bid to keep it afloat.

In December, Alan Yentob, who was chairman of trustees at the charity, stepped down as BBC creative director after facing intense scrutiny during the episode.

Batmanghelidjh has claimed that the sexual abuse allegations and not a lack of funding were behind Kids Company’s closure as she rubbished the ongoing parliamentary inquiry into the charity.

She said: “I am very relieved and very grateful the police did such a diligent job of investigating everything and on the basis of facts they found us not guilty of any wrongdoing.

“A lot of other organisations judged on the basis of allegations that were unfounded and the police acted with complete integrity on all this.

“I don’t feel that the parliamentary inquiry will be honourable because that’s the committee that was suggesting I do voodoo and all that.”

The founder told BBC Radio London that the charity’s employees could have been paid with money from the Cabinet Office and called the closure a “tragedy”.

She said: “We paid staff salaries and then we had £2.2m in the account and a further £11m confirmed income so our closure wasn’t as a result of lack of funding, it was the sexual abuse allegations that were false that led to our closure.”

Despite admitting that she would have done some things differently, including being less trusting of government ministers who had promised her support, she claimed the charity’s 650 staff were trying “to give the best to the children”.

She said: “But if you are asking me do I regret that we bought trainers for children? No I don’t.”