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The founder of a community energy company who committed suicide after being arrested on suspicion of fraud would not have faced criminal charges, an inquest found on Tuesday.
David Green, director of Ecoisland, hanged himself on 7 October last year, a week after his company went into liquidation.
He had been arrested by police after the Isle of Wight Council raised questions about half of a £250,000 government grant that was unaccounted for. The company owed almost £400,000 in total.
However, the police subsequently found “insufficient evidence to confirm that any criminal offences were committed”.
Coroner Caroline Sumeray criticised the council for releasing information of Green’s arrest prematurely and called for a full investigation, the BBC reported.
The council acknowledged the statement but said it would be “inappropriate” to comment further.
A Utility Week investigation found Green had invested substantial sums of his own money into the venture, which was set up with the vision of making the Isle of Wight self-sufficient in energy by 2020. It also found the council and regulator had failed to respond to warning signs the company was in trouble.
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