A disgraced “superhead” who received “vast sums” in unlawful bonuses has been told he cannot appeal a High Court decision that he must pay back nearly £1.4 million.

Alan Davies was headteacher of Copland Community School in Wembley, north London, for 20 years until he was suspended from his £160,000-a-year post in May 2009.

In October 2013, he pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to creating a false paper trail on bonus payments and allowances, and was handed a 12-month sentence suspended for two years. He was also stripped of his knighthood.

Last year, Mr Davies was ordered by High Court judge Mr Justice Zacaroli to repay a total of £1,395,839 to Brent Council. The judge also ordered that the council was entitled to trace his assets in order to recoup the money. However, he said that Mr Davies did not have to pay the sum immediately, pending his attempt to appeal the decision.

But in today’s ruling, Lord Justice Lewison, sitting in the Court of Appeal, refused an application by Mr Davies for permission to appeal.

He said: “There is no real prospect that the Court of Appeal would interfere with his [Mr Justice Zacaroli’s] overall findings of fact.”

He added: “Monies spent by the headteacher are spent as the agent of the local authority…and until it is spent, it remains the property of the authority. It follows inevitably that when a headteacher spends budget money, he is in effect spending money which belongs to someone else.”

The High Court also ordered that Mr Davies’ five co-defendants must repay the council a total of more than £600,000.

Cllr Margaret McLennan, deputy leader of Brent Council, said: “I’m pleased that the Court of Appeal has refused Alan Davies the chance to appeal the High Court ruling that he received vast sums in unlawful bonuses and must pay back nearly £1.4 million. 

“He now needs to pay back every penny he stole from the education of local school children and I am grateful to everyone who helped bring this disgraced former headteacher to justice.”