"The suspended boss of Pride in London has "frustrated" a disciplinary investigation into alleged theft and bullying by refusing to hand back control of company bank accounts and systems, court documents allege. Christopher Joell-Deshields appeared at London's High Court on Tuesday accused of not handing back the company's "usernames, passwords and personal identification numbers". Court papers seen by the BBC show Pride in London's lawyers accuse him of trying to prevent "the full extent of his actions becoming apparent"."
"In September 2025, London LGBT Community Pride CIC obtained an injunction against the 55-year-old, who is suspended from his role as CEO while a disciplinary investigation continues, which required him to hand back company devices, access to bank accounts and social media profiles. Lawyers for the organisation, which puts on one of the UK's largest annual pride events, accused Joell-Deshields of two counts of contempt of court for failing to comply with the order."
Christopher Joell-Deshields is suspended as CEO of Pride in London while a disciplinary investigation into alleged theft and bullying continues. Court papers allege he refused to hand back control of company bank accounts, systems and login credentials. An injunction issued in September 2025 required him to return devices, bank access and social media profiles. Lawyers accuse him of obstructing discovery and face two contempt counts for non-compliance. His representative said he will contest some return claims but accepted failure to provide a witness statement verifying compliance. A trial on remaining allegations is set after 10 February.
Read at www.bbc.com
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