Builder accused of Ponzi-like scheme
17 Oct 2025A builder in a £2 million fraud trial has pleaded not guilty to 46 charges of fraud alleged to have taken place across the West Country between December 2019 and November 2021. Mark Killick, who has also gone by the aliases Marc Cole and Mark Jenkins, has denied that his business operated as a Ponzi […]
Museum worker pleads not guilty to fraud
16 Oct 2025A museum manager has denied stealing items from Norfolk Museums Service, which oversees 10 museums throughout the county, including Norwich Castle Museum, and selling them off through auctions over the course of almost 20 years. Stephen Harris entered not guilty pleas to multiple charges, including theft by an employee spanning 2005 to 2022, and concealing, […]
Agency worked ordered to repay cheated county council
15 Oct 2025An agency social worker who held three full-time jobs with different local authorities has been ordered to repay the money obtained by fraud or face a further court hearing. Beatrice Eduah pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position between June and November 2023, after misleading Suffolk County Council, Peterborough City Council and another local […]
Callous fraudster stole from vulnerable couple
01 Oct 2025A woman stole almost £1 million from an elderly couple who considered her a trusted family friend. Susan Bruland ran her own bookkeeping business and had been a longstanding friend of Janet and Michael Rumke. The couple had granted her Lasting Power of Attorney over their financial affairs. However, she betrayed their trust by transferring […]
Failure to prevent fraud
12 Sep 2025The new corporate criminal offence of failure to prevent fraud under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) came into force on 1 September 2025. While it currently applies only to large organisations with more than 250 employees, a turnover exceeding £36 million or total assets exceeding £18 million, smaller businesses will inevitably be […]
Accountant treated like a daughter repaid trust with fraud
29 Aug 2025An accountant who had been put through accountancy training by her employer stole millions from the group of companies for which she worked, mainly to fund a long-term gambling habit. Gemma Lewis stole £2.4 million from five different companies that were part of a group owned by James Davies, who looked on Lewis “as a […]
Protracted investigation uncovered fraud by abuse of position
20 Aug 2025The Hailsham Memorial Institute was left on the brink of insolvency after its former administrator Jeanette Gardner abused her position as an employee to steal thousands of pounds from its accounts. However, earlier this year, Gardner, who was convicted in 2023 of fraud by abuse of position, fraud by false representation, theft, transferring criminal property […]
Both Bordeaux Cellars defendants plead not guilty
07 Aug 2025The second defendant to be extradited to the US to stand trial on charges of defrauding individuals into taking out loans backed by collections of fine wines as collateral has been named. He has pleaded not guilty. The alleged fraud, carried out under the company name Bordeaux Cellars, resulted in losses of around US$100 million […]
“Meticulous investigation” results in jail for charity fraudster
30 Jul 2025An office manager at a charity has been jailed for three years for stealing £217,000 over nearly eight years. Isabella George stole the money from the Caritas Social Action Network by fraudulently signing then cashing cheques to the tune of £171,000 and using the charity’s credit card to make purchases for her own benefit. An […]
Government confirms Insolvency Service to take over from NATIS
06 Jun 2025The Government has confirmed it is shutting down the National Investigation Service (NATIS), which was set up by the previous Government in 2020 to investigate perpetrators of Covid Bounce Back Loan (BBL) fraud, after it failed to catch a sufficient number of fraudsters. As of summer 2025, such investigations will be conducted by the Insolvency […]
Internal processes discover almost £2 million fraud at E.ON
23 May 2025Two executives of the energy company E.ON have been found guilty of taking millions of pounds’ worth of bribes during the development of Cranbrook – a new town in Devon. Matt Baker and Matthew Heyward were employed by E.ON as Head of Build and Quantity Surveyor, respectively, before moving to British Gas. Between 2011 and […]
The changing face of forensic accounting
21 May 2025Every year we collate information from our members regarding the number and type of cases we undertake. This means we have some interesting insights to the changing face of forensic accounting. In summary, the last five years of instructions have looked like this: As with 2023, we have seen a significant increase in the […]
Missing documentation led to fraud investigation
29 Apr 2025The Finance Manager at a children’s nursery has been jailed for more than two years following an investigation into the nursery’s accounts. Kerry McGavigan had worked for the Enchanted Wood Nursery in Essex for 12 years, but her financial wrongdoing only came to light after a colleague reviewed the accounts and suspected that some documents […]
“Comprehensive investigation” clears socialite of money laundering
08 Apr 2025Following a five-month trial at Leeds Crown Court, socialite James Stunt, former son-in-law of Formula 1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, was found not guilty of allowing his office to be used as a money laundering hub – the only one of the five defendants to be cleared. Money laundering in excess of £200 million made this […]
Cruise fraudster jailed after 10-year investigation
24 Mar 2025A former restaurateur who often called himself a Lord, lived the high life by profiting from selling fake cruises to victims across the globe. Earlier this month, Richard Lester was jailed for five years for fraudulent trading and concealing criminal property, as well as being disqualified from acting as the Director of any company for […]
What’s so special about a “special purchaser”?
11 Mar 2025The term “special purchaser” is often used when it comes to valuing businesses, but what does it mean and how does it affect the value of a business? Business valuations Forensic accountants are regularly instructed to value businesses as part of family or civil proceedings when the parties are unable to agree what their […]
Director jailed for Bounce Back Loan fraud
06 Mar 2025Following an investigation by the Insolvency Service, the Director of a construction company has been jailed for two-and-a-half years and banned as a Director for 10 years for overstating his company’s turnover to secure two £50,000 Bounce Back Loans, when businesses were only entitled to one. In addition, the money was not used for the […]
£6 million confiscation order against convicted fraudster
03 Mar 2025The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has secured a Confiscation Order of almost £6 million against convicted investment fraudster, Guy Flintham. In May 2024, Flintham was given a six-year prison sentence for defrauding investors of £19 million, having pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. According to the FCA, Flintham stole from 240 investors between January […]
HR consultant abused her position to commit fraud
27 Feb 2025An HR manager has been sentenced to three years in jail for embezzling £100,000 from her employer, following an investigation by City of London Police. Fara Ahmed, who worked in the HR departments of a consultancy business and a property and construction firm, was accused of falsifying invoices and diverting funds into her own bank […]
Serious Fraud Office secures its first Unexplained Wealth Order
25 Feb 2025The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has secured its first Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) to freeze the assets of a property in the Lake District it believes to have been purchased through the proceeds of crime. The property is valued at around £1.5 million and is owned by Claire Schools, the ex-wife of convicted solicitor Timothy […]
Convicted fraudsters face confiscation orders
23 Jan 2025A fraudster jailed for two-and-a-half years in March 2024, faces more jail time unless he repays the £30,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan (BBL) he obtained fraudulently in May 2020. Watford restaurateur Ilhan Kekec claimed the £30,000 by overstating his company’s income. He then used the loan, which was originally intended to help businesses struggling during […]
Racehorse owner denies fraud
16 Jan 2025Former racehorse owner and race sponsor, John Dance, started the year by appearing at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court to face charges of money laundering and fraud. Mr Dance is alleged to have transferred more than £64 million in client funds to pursue his racing interests and fund his lifestyle. He denies all nine charges. As […]
Eastside Rooms – Uncovering hidden assets
02 Jan 2025It was announced last month that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is investigating the construction of a £112 million hotel and conference centre in Birmingham known as the Eastside Rooms. Unite the union, which instigated an enquiry into the project in 2021, says it believes there was “serious financial wrongdoing” when it was run by […]
Rainbow Valley case highlights threats to charities
18 Dec 2024Fraud and theft within charitable organisations inflict profound damage, extending beyond financial loss to erode trust and compromise the very mission of these entities. The recent case involving Lindsay MacCallum, who stole £86,000 from Rainbow Valley – a charity established in memory of her friend’s daughter – highlights the multifaceted repercussions of such acts. The […]
Finding hidden assets during divorce
12 Dec 2024With more than 40 per cent of marriages in the UK ending in divorce, knowing how to get a fair share of the marital assets is important. However, this is not always easy, and some spouses make great efforts to keep assets that should be shared out of the financial settlement. In a recent case, […]