Former JJB Sports boss Ronnie guilty of fraud
THE former chief executive of collapsed North West retailer JJB Sports has been found guilty of fraud.
Chris Ronnie, 52, from Wilmslow, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court after an eight week trial which followed an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.
Ronnie, a former professional squash player, who ran the Wigan company between August 2007 and March 2009, declined to give evidence in his defence on charges he received three payments from suppliers nd failed to declare them to JJB’s board of directors.
Jurors were told during the trial he used some of the cash – around £1m – to buy property in Florida.
After deliberating for more than 30 hours, the jury returned an unanimous verdict on three counts of fraud, and two of furnishing false information.
Ronnie was convicted alongside David Ball from Surrey and David Barrington from Wilmslow, who were beneficial owners of Fashion and Sport Ltd, a company that sold clothing brands and supplied stock to JJB.
David Ball was convicted of two offences of attempting to pervert the course of justice, contrary to the common law, in relation to attempts to destroy digital material and to mislead the SFO.
Barrington was convicted of two offences of attempting to pervert the course of justice, contrary to the common law, in relation to attempts to destroy digital material and to mislead the SFO.
Mr Ball was acquitted of two offences of furnishing false information. The jury were unable to agree in relation to a third count of furnishing false information.
The defendants will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on December 12. All three defendants were granted bail until then.
Ronnie was sacked from JJB in 2009 for gross misconduct, which was unrelated to this case.
After numerous attempts to revive its flagging fortunes JJB was placed into administration in October 2012 wilth 133 shop closures and 2,200 job losses.
The SFO said the case had been referred to it by the Office of Fair Trading (now called the Competition and Markets Authority) and an investigation began in August 2009.
