26-05-2025
EXCLUSIVE: Dozens of victims owed £1m after Fife motorhome fraud won't receive a penny
Retired victims and creditors of a St Andrews company, some of whom were fleeced of their life savings, will not see a penny of the £1 million owed to them.
St Andrews Motorhomes was liquidated after crooked Christine Galloway defrauded multiple customers of nearly £350,000.
The final report from the firm handling the liquidation process has revealed more than £1m was owed to 63 creditors.
Staff left jobless when the company closed suddenly in 2018 will also not receive wages owed.
Galloway, whose last known address is in the Welsh town of Rhyl, was jailed for 12 months in 2023 after admitting the large-scale deception.
She spent two years acting as a broker to dupe motorhome owners into handing over their vehicles for her to sell on.
Galloway was using the money she made from the sales to prop up her failing business and failed to hand money made through the sale of the vehicles back to her victims.
In one case, a customer had no idea Galloway had already sold their vehicle until they spotted it being driven along the motorway in front of them.
The final report before the company is completely wound-up has been published by Claire Middlebrook, of Middlebrook's Business and Recovery.
In it, she details how the final stages of the liquidation process played out.
A family member of the buyer of Galloway's home bought the commercial premises for £110,000 in 2024.
'There was interest expressed from a family member of the purchaser of Ms Galloways residential property in acquiring the commercial property,' the administrator's report said.
'In conjunction with the secured lender an offer of £170,000 had been accepted.
'This offer was subject to the approval of planning permission which unfortunately was not granted.
'The potential purchaser reconsidered his position and submitted a reduced offer of £110,000 for consideration by the secured lender.'
Funds received was just over £89,000 after costs and went to the secured creditor.
A total of 63 creditors submitted claims on money owed to them, totalling £1,028,249.
The report adds: 'Due to the level of realisations, it has not been possible to issue a distribution to the non preferential creditors in this matter.'
Galloway also had a director's loan of £58,600, from Bank of Scotland.
This was pursued by the administrators but because she petitioned for her own bankruptcy, this could not be recovered.
The liquidators fees were £69,000.
Galloway, formerly of Pitscottie, Cupar, was initially accused of gaining more than £750,000 from customers by selling 26 motorhomes and 11 caravans without passing on the money.
However, the Crown accepted her guilty plea to fraudulently obtaining the lesser amount from a dozen clients between 2016 and 2018.
She was ordered to forfeit only £2,000 in assets by a sheriff at a later hearing.
Galloway was banned from being a company director in 2020 after the company's collapse.
