We are seeking resolution for all cases.

Jane Farmer`s Impact Statement

Business Impact

GoldenBall was a generous, kind and caring employer in terms of pensions, medical care, training, salaries and working conditions; Godfrey’s employees (8 full-time) shared in his success. I remember he helped employees with legal costs and medical help when needed.

He developed a marketing product called Ewards (‘customer engagement’) for large corporate clients with the help of local tech companies. The local tech companies then ran and hosted the software. The impact of this success supported a number of local businesses: suppliers, software, tech, graphic designers, travel companies, venues, as well as translators, airlines, venues, sports events, theatres etc. Between GoldenBall and the software company, I estimate they were solidly creating daily employment for 50-100 people. The bank profited significantly from volume of regular currency exchange with global clients.

The business regularly held events to support charities; Godfrey was generous with donations to charities, local schools and the arts. He funded and organised a 6th form trip to Paris for an A-level class (he was a fluent French speaker himself). He provided a training ground for employees – I remember Mario in particular who went back to Melbourne as the events manager of the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Clients – he knew every client in sales forces of 100s over Europe. He used an extensive network of contacts. He would move heaven and earth to get clients exactly what they really wanted as a reward for writing business. Nothing was too much trouble. He was intuitive and trusting of people’s good nature. Everyone felt that they knew him.

He worked long hours; at start-up, a 16 hour day was normal. When taking large groups on tour, he was the ultimate red-coat and he would work around the clock to ensure every client was happy.

His only fault may have been that he believed that everyone was his friend.

I believe that, if he had personally survived the 2008 banking crisis, the business might have amalgamated with one of the local tech companies. The client base would have diversified. Godfrey would perhaps have developed an educational aspect of event management.

Personal Impact

The personal impact on Godfrey of losing the business he had built up over 10 years was catastrophic. He became anxious and depressive during 2007. I believe it affected his judgement.

The personal impact on our family was also catastrophic although we had not been involved in any business borrowing – or any borrowing come to that. Having lived a comfortable but modest life, working hard, we were all suddenly confronted with paying a huge debt, not of our making.

We had suffered intense horror, sadness and bewilderment at Godfrey’ attempted suicide, just before Christmas 2008. After that there were 6 months of trying to cope with his mood and his change in character. It was extremely distressing.

He had regular sessions with the self-harm unit at the hospital.

When I eventually learned of the debt, in June 2009, I experienced extreme shock. People say that their hair turns white – mine did in parts. I was terrified. I did not sleep for days. When I had to respond to aggressive letters from solicitors, I was deprived of sleep again. I still suffer with insomnia.

Godfrey talked of a blackness. This exuberant man with all his many talents was destroyed.

We did not actually talk much about the debt except that we reluctantly decided to break up the security and sanctuary of our home into individual parts. Godfrey would sell our French home of 20 years and use our pension to settle up. This was very hard for me as my legacy from my grandparents had funded our French home and our UK ‘grand design’ home was the product of my expertise as a chartered landscape architect; 20 years of building, nurturing and planting. Both were extremely beautiful places. Their sale value was derived from their beauty, not size.

Age 50, I had to give up the prospect of the pension I had worked for.

Our daughter helped me to apply for jobs but otherwise closed down on the subject. She misses/missed her Dad but will still only very occasionally talk about him. She has lots of photos of him on display. She has developed control-phobias and will not use trains, planes, lifts, escalators etc. As a former practising artist, member of the Future 500, she stopped drawing and painting for years.

Relationships within the wider family became strained as the years passed and I was told by my sister to ‘get some pills’ to cope with my own depression.

I had counselling for depression, bereavement and for being a victim of fraud (this last, organised by Action Fraud).

Godfrey and I now have 3 grandchildren. They know very little about their grandpa except that he was ill, he died and no-one talks about him. I miss his involvement with them every time I see them although they have never known him.

They have missed out on staying with grandparents, holidays, family stories, family jokes, regular contact with close family, and the general love, strength and support of two loving grandparents. My grandson in particular is a brilliant dyslexic with a love of the outdoors – our family homes would have been a great sanctuary for him.

My daughter, who is an only child, missed out on having any support in the very early days of having her family.

Physically, I have suffered from endless hours spent poring over a computer screen. My eyes had already been affected by my brain haemorrhage. Sleep deprivation takes its toll.

Time spent in writing and responding to letters affected my ability to concentrate on my day job as a teacher. I retired early on very little income in order to accommodate the time needed for this.

Other people were affected: I have not been able to look after my elderly, wheelchair-bound father as much as I should. We had very dear, elderly neighbours whom I would have been able to support in other circumstances but could not do so when I was on my own and working long hours. They were moved into separate homes when one of them became infirm. It was a tragedy.

I lost touch with many family members.

That is 30 years of a marriage - gone. All those shared memories.

A family destroyed.

A lifetime’s work forcibly sold for someone else’s benefit.

Jane Farmer

Addendum 29 05 2020

Going through G's papers I have found alternatives to signing a PG that G offered to the bank, including the Intellectual Property of the website he had created.