GiveaLittle says money donated to fund a Christchurch murder victim's funeral was going to be spent on a completely different purpose and had to be refunded.

More than 80 people donated close to $5,000 to pay for 5-year-old Leon Jayet-Cole's funeral in June.

But those costs were in fact covered by ACC.

Spark Foundation General Manager Lynne Le Gros says the page's author indicated the money would instead be spent on clothes and helping out Leon's family.

"We didn't feel that that was what donors were contributing for and, therefore, we made a decision that the right thing to do was to refund."

Leon's step-father James Roberts has been charged with his murder and is back in court on September 11.