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The owner and director of the embattled Sark Electricity has died.
David Gordon-Brown, the man behind the company which has been at the centre of price controversy in recent years, passed away on Monday 10 February, his family confirmed in a statement.
The 68-year-old was still in a battle with Sark's Government over what he could charge for electricity.
He wanted to charge 85p per unit, which would make Sark the most expensive place in the world to buy electricity. But Mr Gordon-Brown said he needed to charge those prices to keep the business afloat.
The bills have started arriving, they are at the Price Control Order of 54p/kWh.#SarkElectricity
— Sark Electricity User Group (@SarkElectricity) February 14, 2020
This happened after Sark's government - known as Chief Pleas - and Sark Electricity found themselves in Court in 2018, as the business challenged a Price Control Order made by Sark's Electricity Price Control Commissioner.
The high prices were being used to offset those legal costs.
The situation looked set to repeat itself in December 2019, with legal action once again threatened over a new price control order.
Pictured: Tensions had arisen between Chief Pleas and SEL again in recent months, but what happens now is up in the air.
But, days after he died, the Sark Electricity Users Group confirmed that their bill for January was priced at the level the Commissioner had set - 54p per unit. Whether the business will dispute that price in the future is as yet unknown.
Mr Gordon-Brown lived at his home in Canada for the final months of his life. His illness meant he could not travel to Sark for a final meeting with the people of the island to discuss the future of electricity generation.
He therefore put together a video presentation, which was played in the Island Hall.
Video: Mr Gordon-Brown's video presentation at a meeting in Sark to discuss the future of electricity generation.
In a statement on social media confirming his death, Mr Gordon-Brown's family said: "Our amazing husband, Dad, Gramps and friend went home to be with his Heavenly Father on Monday."
Pictured top: David Gordon-Brown.
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