Sentencing Date Set for Former Co-op Bank Boss

A sentencing date has been established for Paul Flowers, a former Co-op Bank chairman, who pleaded guilty to a series of frauds totaling almost £100,000.

During a hearing in July this year, the 74-year-old Flowers admitted to 18 charges related to his misuse of funds while acting as executor of the will and power of attorney for Margaret Jarvis, a personal acquaintance.

Flowers acknowledged withdrawing approximately £70,000 in cash from her account, in addition to using around £34,000 of her money for personal purchases, which included payments to:

• The Wine Society (£415 and £1,046.50)
• P&O Cruises (£840 and £486)
• Holiday Extras (£491.34)
• Hotel Domenico, Corfu (£341.33)
• Eurostar (£980)
• Gekay Carpets Limited (£1,275 for his home flooring)
• Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester (£56 and £47)

While the total value of the admitted fraud exceeded £180,000, Manchester Crown Court accepted a basis of plea that accepted wrongdoing close to £100,000, with prosecutors describing the actions as a ‘gross breach of trust’.

On December 12, Flowers was excused from attending a mention hearing at Manchester Crown Court, during which a sentencing date was set for February 14, 2025. The court also ordered a presentence report from the probation service.

Flowers, who served as chairman of the Manchester-based Co-op Bank from 2010 to 2013, resigned amid allegations of illegal drug use and inappropriate expense claims. Previously a councillor in Rochdale (1988-1992), he was fined £400 after pleading guilty to drug possession for cocaine, ketamine, and crystal meth, earning him the moniker ‘crystal methodist’.

Amid the Co-operative Bank's financial turmoil, which revealed a £1.5bn deficit, Flowers faced critiqued competence. He was also involved in overseeing Rochdale social services during a period connected to an alleged Satanic abuse scandal in Middleton.

In a reflective moment during a BBC Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman, Flowers stated: "I am in company with every other human being for having my frailties and some fragility exposed. Most people get through life without that ever coming into the public domain. But, of course I have sinned in that old-fashioned term, which I would rarely use, I have to say."