Tribute to the man who uncovered major corruption at Doncaster Council - Joffre Sprakes
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Joff, who lived in Thorne, had been a long-time critic of Doncaster Council for many years and by 1990 had become increasingly suspicious of the authority’s management.
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Hide AdIn that same year, a dispute over unpaid business rates arose between Joff and the council, which ended with him receiving a jail sentence. He was handcuffed and taken in a prison van to Hull Prison where he spent three long months– a penalty which Joff always believed to be excessive.
Throughout his life, Joff remained convinced that he’d been persecuted by the council and he pledged to scrutinise its activities.
After his release from prison, he became a man with a mission. He started to painstakingly inspect the council’s accounts and began asking awkward questions.
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Hide AdFor a staggering six years, he visited the local archives every day and examined countless documents.
Some of the staff thought he was an employee and he was even given use of their facilities. After this marathon research project, Joff finally sent his findings to the council, contained in ten bulging lever arch files, which he copied to the auditors. These in-depth findings amounted to
substantial evidence of wholesale council corruption in Doncaster.
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Hide AdA well-publicised police investigation followed – Operation Danum - along with numerous arrests.
At the subsequent trials of Doncaster councillors and officers, Joff and two close friends, Ray Nortrop and Dunlop Griffith, attended every case, travelling to Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Nottingham and even the Old Bailey, to celebrate the guilty verdicts.
In total, 45 councillors and officers were convicted, with many of them facing prison sentences, all because of Joff’s steely determination, tenacity and principles.
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Hide AdDespite the serious nature of this chapter in his life, Joff remained humorous and cheerful and didn’t let the experience sour his keen interest in local politics and community life. He continued to keep a close eye on local government activities in both Thorne and Doncaster and regularly attended town council meetings until shortly before his death.
Several of Joff’s former military colleagues, who served with him in the 6th Tanks Regiment, joined mourners at his funeral this month at St Nicholas Church in Thorne.
Peter Davies, former elected mayor of Doncaster, said Joff was a highly principled individual who succeeded in rooting out widespread council corruption. “He was determined to improve standards in public life and the tax-payers of Doncaster have a very great deal to thank him for,” he added.
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