The chief executive of London's flagship LGBTQ+ Pride event is facing potential imprisonment, fines, or asset seizure after being accused of contempt of court for allegedly failing to hand over control of the organisation's critical assets.
High Court Summons Over Withheld Passwords
Christopher Joell-Deshields, the suspended CEO of Pride in London, has been ordered to appear at the High Court on Tuesday. The hearing follows claims he disobeyed a court order to surrender "all usernames, passwords, personal identification numbers and other information" for the charity's bank accounts, social media, and administrative tools.
The order was granted as an injunction to London LGBT Community Pride CIC in September, with Joell-Deshields' agreement. His organisation alleges he withheld this property to prevent "the full extent of his actions becoming apparent to the disciplinary investigator." Lawyers state that despite correspondence warning of "serious consequences," he did not comply.
Seven-Month Probe into Bullying and Sponsor Voucher Misuse
This legal action compounds an ongoing, seven-month internal investigation into Joell-Deshields. He was initially suspended in August last year following allegations of bullying and financial impropriety.
A central claim involves the alleged misuse of food and drink vouchers, worth £30,000, donated by an unnamed sponsor for volunteers. According to a whistleblowing disclosure, the sponsor's head of ethics wrote to Pride in London last February, stating its fraud systems detected £7,125 spent from two accounts on luxury items.
The items purchased reportedly included:
- Apple HomePod and AirPods
- Creed Aventus cologne (retailing from £165)
- Burberry Hero fragrance (from £118 a bottle)
The sponsor suggested the transactions indicated personal benefit. One of the flagged accounts belonged to Joell-Deshields.
Potential Consequences for Pride's Leadership
The interim court order contained a penal notice, explicitly warning that disobedience could result in contempt of court findings, leading to imprisonment, fines, or asset seizure. Lawyers for Pride in London say they were forced to apply for the contempt hearing due to Joell-Deshields' "intransigence."
They also express concern he "may be seeking to frustrate the processes of the court" by not acknowledging service of the application. At the September hearing, Joell-Deshields' lawyer stated his cooperation with the order was not an admission of guilt regarding the broader allegations.
Joell-Deshields, who became CEO in 2022, did not respond to a request for comment. Pride in London, the UK's largest LGBTQ+ event attracting around 30,000 participants, is financed by a £625,000 five-year grant from the London mayor and its own fundraising.
Governance concerns were first raised by a company director in July, followed by a formal whistleblowing disclosure from volunteer directors.
