The man who was at the heart of the island’s film industry was ’hounded to his grave’ according to former treasury minister Eddie Teare.

Mr Teare was giving evidence at a Tynwald committee exploring whether further investigation is required into the island’s media development fund.

During the closing exchanges of the public accounts committee hearing, statements turned into thinly veiled attacks on those who have long criticised the media development fund and Stephen Christian who ran CinemaNX and represented the island on the board of PineWood Studios.

David Cretney MLC, who also appeared before the committee as the former trade and industry minister said that he ’regretted the rudeness’ expressed in Tynwald towards Mr Christian, who died in 2017.

Mr Cretney said Mr Christian ’did such a lot of good work for the Isle of Man’.

Mr Teare (pictured) added: ’And he’s not here to answer for himself.

’That’s a disgrace, I think he was hounded to his grave.’

The committee, established by Tynwald after a motion from Kate Beecroft (Lib Vannin, Douglas South) was discussing criticism of the film fund when Mr Teare made his comments.

He earlier told the committee that debates on the issue in Tynwald which were recorded on Hansard and available online had at times ’damaged’ the island’s reputation. Former chief minister Allan Bell said that there were successes with the island’s exploits in the movie business which should be celebrated as it made ’a lot’ of money.

Mr Bell added: ’The Isle of Man can do things well and we have done things well and we’ve stolen a march over many other jurisdictions on issues like this. It’s something we should be pleased with and not do our best then to pick apart and denigrate which appears to have been the trigger for this particular exercise.’