‘Mean and selfish’ Leicester company director sent back to jail

A Leicester businessman had sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison plus a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order and has been disqualified from being a company director for 10 years.

Scott Kidd, from Ratby Lane, Markfield, Leicester was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on 6 April.

The Court also imposed the first ever Serious Crime Prevention Order obtained by the Insolvency Service. The order runs for five years from his date of release from prison and ensures that over the next five years Kidd has to report all his financial and business dealings to the investigators. Its aim is to prevent him reoffending. He will need to report any bank account he opens or has access to, any credit obtained, and premises purchased. He must detail what businesses he is involved in and must not again use an alias name. If he contravenes the order he could be sentenced to five years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Scott Kidd is also known as Scott Sheffield-Kidd and Scott Carrington. His wife, Laura Carrington, also known as Laura Sheffield-Kidd and Laura Sheffield, received a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years, must do 150 hours unpaid work and was disqualified from being a company director for five years.

Kidd had previously run car sales companies K-Lease Limited, K-Market Limited and Cars Its Your Choice Limited. He then ran Olivia Earl Clocks with his wife.

HHJ Tregilgas-Davey remarked in his sentencing: “You are mean and selfish individuals with no thought or concern to the financial havoc you caused to other people. You had absolutely no concern about effect of non-payment for people to whom you owed money. This was a flagrant disregard for a court sentence.”

The Insolvency Service Criminal Enforcement Team investigated a number of complaints regarding the conduct of Kidd in that he continued to act in the management of Olivia Earl Limited and Carrington International Limited, whilst subject of a disqualification order.

Kidd was convicted on 9 September 2011 for offences of being party to the carrying on of a business with the intent to defraud creditors and theft offences. He was imprisoned for six years and disqualified from being a company director for 10 years.

Following his release from prison in 2014 Kidd was actively involved in the management of these companies with “total disregard” to the disqualification order imposed on him by the Court. His wife Laura Carrington was the named director of both Olivia Earl Limited and Carrington International Limited and aided and abetted Kidd.

The investigation uncovered offences of fraud by false representation where Kidd had obtained a tenancy agreement on a rental property and a mortgage on his residential property by supplying false documents and information regarding his employment and salary.

Kidd and Laura Carrington were arrested on 9 November 2016 in a joint operation with Leicestershire Police, with assistance from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit. He appeared at Leicester Crown Court on 7 December 2016 and pleaded guilty to two offences of acting in the management of a limited company whilst a disqualified director and two offences of fraud by false representation. Laura Carrington pleaded guilty to two offences of aiding and abetting Scott Kidd in acting in the management of a company.

Glenn Wicks, the officer in charge of the investigation said: “Scott Kidd was released from prison mid-sentence and even though he knew he was not allowed to act as a director in a company, began running two companies. His wife, Laura Carrington, knew exactly what he was doing and by changing their names they quite cynically and systematically ripped people off. This pair have completely disregarded the law and caused misery to honest hardworking people, including their own employees, who have all lost their jobs.

“We identified he was committing offences whilst out on license from prison and quickly completed our investigation which meant he could be returned to finish his sentence.

Insolvency Service chief executive Sarah Albon said she was pleased that agency had secured its first Serious Crime Prevention Order.

She said: “Serious Crime Prevention Orders are a welcome addition to our investigative armoury. We will be able to keep a close eye on Mr Kidd when he is released, significantly reducing the chance he will reoffend as he has done in the past. This case will be a warning to others that we will use all the powers available to crack down on financial wrong doing and better protect the public.”