A judge has issued an arrest warrant for former Co-operative Bank chairman Paul Flowers after he failed to attend court for his fraud sentencing. Flowers, 74, had pleaded guilty in July to a series of fraud offenses totaling nearly £100,000. He abused his position as the executor of Margaret Jarvis’s will and holder of her power of attorney to commit the crimes.
During Friday’s hearing at Manchester Crown Court, it was revealed that Flowers had “disengaged” from his legal team. A solicitor had contacted him the evening before to warn him of the consequences of not appearing, but he still failed to show. Judge Nicholas Dean KC, the Honorary Recorder of Manchester, issued the arrest warrant without the option for bail.
This is not the first time Flowers has missed a court appearance. Several preliminary hearings were previously canceled due to his health issues, and in November 2023, another arrest warrant was issued when he failed to attend court. Judge Dean acknowledged Flowers’ “fragile mental health” but stated that an immediate custodial sentence seemed “almost inevitable” due to the nature of the offense and its impact on a vulnerable victim, which may have contributed to his absence.
Flowers, who hails from Salford, was infamously dubbed the “Crystal Methodist” after the Mail on Sunday published a video showing him purchasing £300 worth of crystal meth and other drugs in Leeds in November 2013. He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, crystal meth, and ketamine in Leeds Magistrates’ Court, receiving a £400 fine.
Earlier in 2013, Flowers resigned as chairman of the Co-operative Bank after a £1.5 billion shortfall was discovered in the bank’s finances. He had served as chairman for over three years. Following the financial scandal, the Financial Conduct Authority banned him from the financial services industry, citing his “lack of fitness and propriety” to hold a position in the sector. Investigations revealed he had used his work mobile phone to make inappropriate calls to a premium-rate chat line and his work email to exchange sexually explicit messages and discuss illegal drugs.
