Former St Brelade Deputy Sean Power says he is still haunted by an enormous sense of ‘guilt and shame’ that the charity was being fleeced while he was on the board. He added that he intended to go back and ‘apologise’ to JSPCA staff.
Coleman was jailed earlier this month for seven years after admitting 19 counts of fraud and forgery.
The 62-year-old manipulated board minutes and financial books to give himself pay rises and huge bonuses – including one worth £17,000 – over an eight-year period.
In total his fraud amounted to £405,000 – almost £300,000 of which was for his own benefit, the Royal Court was told. He spent the money on lavish holidays, sports cars and a 19-gun collection.
Mr Power said in an impact statement that he handed to States police detectives and has now passed to the JEP that the ordeal had ‘taken a toll on me personally’.
‘I served as a full committee member and as vice-president for a six-year period. I feel an enormous sense of guilt and shame that I did not know that funds were being taken from the society in the manner that they were. That guilt and shame still haunts me. I feel that I failed the JSPCA when in a position of responsibility. I was fooled by a man that I regarded with respect and admiration.’
Coleman was a major in the army and served as a Centenier in St Lawrence during his period with the JSPCA and while he was offending.
The court heard that Coleman’s crimes were detected only when, in 2016, the defendant asked for the charity’s finance chief to award him a 15% pay rise, as he had completed ten years’ service.
As the charity’s finances were in such a dire situation, the request was taken to the board, who were ‘surprised by the magnitude’ of the salary. An internal and then a criminal investigation were launched.
Mr Power’s statement, which was not read out in court, continued: ‘This has taken a toll on me personally. I felt that because the society came so close to the brink of closure that I let the society and the great staff down. I had come to know and appreciate most of the staff. After my term of office ended in 2018, I was unable to visit the society because I felt I had failed these staff. Now that things have recovered owing to Kevin Keen’s stewardship, I feel I may be able to go back and apologise to these loyal servants.
‘The wrongs and fraud perpetrated on the JSPCA affected me personally. I would not go so far as to say that I had a form of breakdown, but I made some dramatic changes to my personal life in 2018 and indeed left Jersey to live in France. This is as much as I want to say. Once this is all over, I will go back and visit JSPCA and apologise to those staff still in employ there.’
