The Press
October 6, 2011
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/5742012/Ex-Chch-priest-jailed-for-660k-AUT-fraud
 |
| JAILED: Fraudster Jonathan Kirkpatrick was a Christchurch vicar for five years. |
A former Christchurch Anglican priest, and the old lover of ex-Labour MP Tim Barnett, has been sentenced for stealing more than $600,000 from AUT.
Jonathan Kirkpatrick, 53, frittered away the money stolen from his former employer on a lavish lifestyle, flash cars and holidays, a court heard.
Yesterday his extravagance caught up with him.
Kirkpatrick was sentenced to three years, two months' imprisonment for fraud in the Auckland District Court.
He stole $666,000 from the Auckland University of Technology between 2002 and May this year. He resigned from his role at the end of July after large sums of money were discovered missing from research and development funds.
Crown lawyer Rachael Reed said over eight-and-a-half years, Kirkpatrick used more than 82 invoices paid out to companies he set up to steal the hefty sum.
He was authorised in his role, as chief executive of AUT's business innovation centre, to issue invoices of up to $15,000 without supervision.
Reed said Kirkpatrick spent the money on top of his salary, which was $90,000 when he began at AUT in 2002 and rose to $150,000 by the time he resigned in July.
"This is a man who should have no need to steal but who obviously had taste beyond his salaried means," she said.
Judge AA Sinclair said Kirkpatrick's offending was motivated by greed.
The court heard Kirkpatrick had no major investments or possessions to show for his fraud.
He was ordered to pay $20,000 reparations to the university, which he received from the sale of his house.
Kirkpatrick's lawyer, Russell Fairbrother, argued the fraud was not premeditated, and writing out the invoices became an "impulsive itch" Kirkpatrick needed to scratch.
"It started out with writing the first invoice and then it became a compulsion."
Kirkpatrick's offending was detected by AUT when he was on holiday in Thailand.
He left a bank statement for one of the fraudulent companies on his desk.
The court heard Kirkpatrick's companies paid GST and income tax on much of the money.
Judge Sinclair noted it was an unusual situation that some of the spoils of the fraud actually went to the taxpayer.
Russell said Kirkpatrick was incredibly remorseful for his crimes, and if he could do two things it would be turning back the clock to before he wrote the first invoice, and paying AUT back.
He said Kirkpatrick was undergoing counselling to try come to terms with his "demons" and address emotional issues that led to his offending.
The judge acknowledged Kirkpatrick's co-operation with the police and AUT's investigations.
The fraud ended up costing over $1 million, with AUT required to pay $208,000, and its insurance company the balance of $791,000.
Following the sentencing, AUT said large organisations could not operate without placing trust in senior staff.
"Mr Kirkpatrick's offending has had a profound impact on the people with whom he worked at AUT. All have experienced a deep sense of betrayal at his prolonged deception."
AUT defended its practices.
"AUT's financial systems and processes are well structured and regularly audited under the direction of the Auditor General and as part of standard business practice by our internal audit team."
The university said it could now put the theft behind it.
JONATHAN KIRKPATRICK'S CV
Kirkpatrick has a first-class honours degree in theology from the University of London and an MBA from the University of Otago.
He was ordained in London in 1985 after beginning his career as a church army officer.
After working in England he came to New Zealand with Barnett in 1991 to be the Vicar of St Michael and All Angels Church in Christchurch and was there for five years.
In 1996 he was made the 10th Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in Dunedin, working below the country's first female bishop, Penny Jamieson.
In 1998, when he was Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, he was involved in a car accident with Christchurch Central MP Barnett, his boyfriend at the time.
Their car spun 40 metres off the road while they were driving from Invercargill to Dunedin. Kirkpatrick had surgery to pin a bone together in his lower back.
In 1998 he was part of a complaint against the television documentary Sex, Lies and Videotape about the dismissal of the director of music at St Paul's and subsequent walkout by all but one member of the all-male choir.
The reason for the dismissal was said to relate to the inappropriate conduct of the director in relation to choir members.
Kirkpatrick is the priest in charge at St Alban's Church in Balmoral, central Auckland.
His assistant priest is Reverend Philip Sallis, who is also the Pro Vice-Chancellor of AUT.
Kirkpatrick is no longer chairman of Incubators New Zealand, an organisation that works to nurture newly formed companies and entrepreneurs. Incubators is aware of the investigation but refused to comment.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.