Earlier today, Tuesday 18 December 2012, Charles Lewin was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment having been convicted of charges of conspiracy to effect legal purpose by improper means, conspiracy to steal, and conspiracy to forge; and Kerry Rothwell and Gail Corrin were both sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, having been convicted of one charge each of conspiracy to effect legal purpose by improper means.
 
The attempt by the defendants to engineer the outcome of the Douglas East by-election in May 2010 struck at the very heart of democracy. It involved a highly organised system which was designed to fraudulently obtain proxy voting rights from householders in Douglas East, and cast these votes for Kevin Woodford. This fraud was undertaken on an industrial scale, with the wholesale targeting of the Douglas East ward.
 
As concerns grew during April 2010, the Registration Officer referred 238 proxy voting forms to the Attorney Generals Chambers, who in turn referred them to the police. During the investigation the police obtained 750 witness statements and over 3,000 documentary exhibits. During the subsequent 34 day trial the prosecution relied upon 182 witness accounts, with more than 90 giving evidence in person.
 
Many of the victims of this dishonest enterprise were vulnerable through either their age and infirmity, or by virtue of them not having English as their first language; several victims had to be interviewed through interpreters to clearly understand what had been said to them, and how they had been misled. They variously described their feelings as upset, angry, annoyed, distressed, and outraged.
 
The conclusion of this investigation shows that the Isle of Man authorities will investigate any allegations of tampering with the democratic process robustly, and that the processes in place protect the rights of individuals to cast their vote for a candidate of their choosing.