The sacked Bermudian boss of Britain’s biggest Pride parade has admitted breaching a court order by failing to provide documents and computer log-ins to his former bosses after he was suspended for alleged misconduct.

Christopher Joell-Deshields could face a “fine, imprisonment, confiscation of assets or other punishment” when he returns to the High Court in London in the summer for sentencing for contempt of court, according to an order issued by Judge Barry Cotter on Wednesday.

The maximum prison term he could be given is two years.

Civil court proceedings were brought by Pride in London against 55-year-old Mr Joell-Deshields, of Bexleyheath, Essex, after it launched an investigation last year into accusations against him of financial misconduct and creating a toxic workplace culture.

The allegations rocked the organisation, which runs the annual LGBTQ+ Pride festival and parade in the British capital every summer, and an interim chief executive was brought in to steady the ship.

On September 12, while the misconduct inquiry was ongoing, the organisation obtained an order from a High Court judge requiring Mr Joell-Deshields to hand over “relevant documents” in his possession, as well as usernames and passwords for various Pride in London accounts, including bank and social media accounts.

It also required him to provide Pride in London’s lawyers with a statement confirming compliance with the order.

At a High Court hearing in January, lawyers for Pride in London alleged he had breached the order. Mr Joell-Deshields denied failing to hand over the documents and log-ins but admitted failing to produce the statement.

A court order dated January 13 found that “as a result of his admission, the defendant is found to have acted in contempt of the court” in relation to the statement of compliance.

Another High Court hearing should have taken place over two days this week to deal with the ground of contempt denied by Mr Joell-Deshields, but the parties held talks and came to an agreement, resulting in Mr Justice Cotter’s order.

The order revealed Mr Joell-Deshields made a “further admission to the court that he acted in contempt of court” in relation to withholding computer log-ins, including for Facebook, PayPal, the HMRC Government Gateway and LinkedIn.

The order said he “failed to deliver up” documents including a co-working membership pass and a phone SIM card, as well as a plan for an event at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

At a hearing in March, according to the UK’s Press Association, lawyers for Pride in London said they feared he wanted to “develop a rival organisation” using confidential information obtained in his role as chief executive.

The Londoner newspaper claimed this month to have uncovered evidence that Mr Joell-Deshields was behind an organisation called Capital Pride London, which was soliciting donations and had unsuccessfully applied for a licence for an event called Pride in the Park, in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

Regarding Capital Pride London, Mr Joell-Deshields told the Gazette this week: “That’s not me. That’s not what activism is about.”

According to the court order from this week, he did not admit — as had been alleged by Pride in London — that he failed to return a work laptop to Pride in London and the order said the “claimant does not pursue an application for contempt in respect of such computer”.

Mr Joell-Deshields will be sentenced for both grounds of contempt of court at a hearing on a date to be set between June 30 and July 31, when he will have the opportunity to give any mitigating circumstances.

In an e-mail to the Gazette today, Mr Joell-Deshields, who led Pride in London from 2021 until he was sacked this year, declined to comment on the judge’s order.

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