Latest news with #Snasdell
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Winsford rogue trader left 'gaping hole' in victim's Cheshire home
A builder left a "gaping hole" in a woman's house after charging her more than £17,000 for work when his firm was about to go bust, a court has Roberts, 60, was supposed to be fitting a rear extension on to the property in Cheshire in Magistrates' Court heard his business was on the brink of insolvency when he took the pre-payment for the work, which was never of Old Spot Way, Winsford, has been given a six-month sentence suspended for two years. Roberts pleaded guilty to fraudulently removing property in anticipation of the winding-up of a company, contrary to section 206 of the Insolvency Act 1986.A large section of the rear of the house was left knocked down, with rubble strewn across the garden, the hearing was asked his victim to pay upfront for the work, despite his company, GR Developments 1 Ltd, being in financial difficulties at the court heard Roberts knew this as he sought professional advice on placing the company into liquidation just weeks later. He signed a contract with his customer at the start of May 2021, promising to complete an extension to the rear of her one week, the victim had paid a deposit of £10,000, with a further payment of £7,000 made at the end of June that Roberts never finished the project and the victim had to pay out to employ other tradespeople, with the work completed in April also paid himself £11,513 in company money in May and July 2021, when he knew GR Developments 1 Ltd was insolvent, the court heard. He has been ordered to pay his victim more than £10,000 in compensation, £1,000 in costs and a £154 victim is also required to complete 20 days of community rehabilitation activity. 'Utter desperation' Roberts has been banned as a company director for 10 years for his misconduct at GR Developments 1 Ltd, with the disqualification in place until February 2034. GR Developments 1 Ltd was eventually dissolved in January Snasdell from the Insolvency Service said the rear of the house was left completely exposed to the elements, and there was "a huge mess in her garden"."Gary Roberts left his victim in a state of utter desperation after wrecking her home," he said. "He never should have even signed a contract with her, as he knew his company was in financial trouble." Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Slough company director jailed over £100,000 Covid loan fraud
The director of a construction frim who admitted fraudulently obtaining two loans designed to help businesses recover from the Covid-19 pandemic has been Deda, 31, overstated the turnover of his company, Knight Workers Ltd, to obtain the maximum value of Bounce Back Loans worth £50,000 in 2020, when companies were only entitled to of the £100,000 was used for the economic benefit of the business as was required under the terms of the scheme, the Insolvency Service from Slough, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday. He had previously admitted two counts of fraud, one count of transferring criminal property and one count of failing to take all reasonable steps to securing compliance with company was also disqualified from serving as a company director for 10 Snasdell, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said the "significant" sentence reflected the "seriousness of Covid-related fraud"."Bounce Back Loans were designed to support small and medium-sized businesses through the pandemic."Taxpayers' money should not have been used for personal purposes by company directors," he Snasdell said that the Insolvency Service was "committed to investigating" crimes which had a "substantial impact on the public purse".Knight Workers, which claimed to be in the business of construction of domestic buildings, was incorporated in December 2017 with Deda as its sole Service investigators found minimal evidence of any trading in the construction made the fraudulent applications to two separate banks for Bounce Back Loans in July 2020, falsely declaring the firm's turnover was both £390,000 and £495,000 for also claimed in securing the second Bounce Back Loan only to have made one applied to have Knight Workers liquidated in November 2021 in an attempt to avoid having to repay the Insolvency Service said it was currently attempting to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Bounce Back Loan scheme was part of then chancellor Rishi Sunak's efforts to ease the effects of the pandemic lockdowns on 2021, about £45bn had been borrowed by more than 1.4 million small firms. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
