Jonathan Kirkpatrick, the former dean of Dunedin’s St Paul’s Cathedral and former partner of ex-Labour MP Tim Barnett, who was recently convicted for fraud, was sentenced today in the Auckland District Court to three years and two months jail.

Fairfax Media report:

A former manager at the Auckland University of Technology stole over $600,000 from his employer and frittered it away on a lavish lifestyle, flash cars and holidays, a court has heard.

Today his extravagance caught up with him.

Jonathan Kirkpatrick, 53, was sentenced to three years, two months’ imprisonment for the fraud in the Auckland District Court today for stealing $666,000 from AUT between 2002 and May this year.

Crown lawyer Rachael Reed said over eight and a half years, Kirkpatrick used over 82 invoices paid out to companies he set up to steal the hefty sum.

He was authorised in his role, as CEO 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. [Read more…]