Dear readers – it’s unusual that we publish a story without any names, but on Wednesday, we brought you the news that three individuals – two men in their 60s and a woman in her 50s – were arrested on suspicion of money laundering in connection with Greater Manchester Police’s investigation into “financial irregularities” at the University of Greater Manchester. The two men were also arrested on suspicion of fraud, one of whom was also arrested on suspicion of bribery.
Mollie Simpson
When a suspect is arrested but no charges have been brought, police in England and Wales limit the information they release to the public, which is meant to ensure a fair trial and protect a suspect’s privacy.
Because of this, we weren’t surprised when GMP told us they would not be naming the three suspects arrested on Wednesday morning in connection with a “significant and complex investigation” into the alleged misuse of as much as £1.7 million in university funds.
Over the past few days, we’ve traipsed around Bolton and interviewed dozens of sources at the university to find out on our own, believing that the public has a right to know when police make arrests of those in positions of authority at a major local organisation.
Today, we can reveal that before 9am on Wednesday morning, GMP arrested the university’s longtime vice-chancellor George Holmes, his partner Louise Burrows and the university’s executive director of facilities Derek Rout. On Wednesday evening, all three suspects were released on bail pending further enquiries. The arrest of Holmes marks an unprecedented moment in British higher education: it is thought to be the first time a university vice-chancellor has ever been arrested in the UK as part of a criminal investigation.
Two staff members at the university told The Mill that they’ve had conversations with senior leaders who identified Holmes as one of the three arrested. In addition, The Mill has learned that one of those arrested was among the three university figures suspended in May of last year, after police announced their investigation: Holmes, provost Zubair Hanslot and senior lecturer Gideon Sorochi Okorie. This week we determined that neither Hanslot nor Okorie was taken into custody.
When we visited Holmes’s house on Wednesday, the day of the arrests, no one answered the bell. When we returned on Thursday, we encountered a workman in the garden who promised to pass on to Holmes and Burrows our request for comment, but we never heard a response. The workman said he had been on the phone to Holmes’ solicitor.
The Holmes house was not the only residence we visited on Wednesday. Our reporter met neighbours of Derek Rout at his block of flats in Bolton, who told us they witnessed police in attendance that morning and Rout being taken into custody.
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