FORMER Vazon Bay Hotel owner Alan Jackson was jailed for 18 months yesterday for forgery and perverting the course of justice.

Jackson, who bought the hotel and other businesses from Tony Gover in 2007, admitted creating a document that falsely claimed he would benefit from £500,000 from a hedge fund.

The 34-year-old (pictured) created it on a computer system at the Royal Bank of Canada, where he was a senior manager in the project office, before he left and bought the local businesses.

He did it while testing the system. The document should have been destroyed or shown to be a test piece. However, he used it as financial back-up for himself. Appearing in the Royal Court, Jackson pleaded guilty. He had denied both offences at a hearing in June.

Advocate Ayres asked Judge Russell Finch and the Jurats to consider a community service order. This was rejected by Mr Finch.

‘You are a man of previous good character,’ he told Jackson. ‘This affects your mitigation. These were not trifle matters.’

For uttering a false document he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Mr Finch regarded perverting the course of justice as more serious and sentenced him to 12 months in prison.