Seven year ban for John Batchelor

THE maverick businessman who attempted to buy Chester City last year has been disqualified from acting as a company director for seven years.

John Batchelor, who wanted to rename the club Harchester United after a fictional side in a former Sky series, has signed a disqualification undertaking after an eight-month investigation by the Insolvency Service in Manchester.

The probe centred on Cheshire-based Mr Batchelor’s acquisition of two Lancashire cleaning products firms, Nelson-based Moornate Chemists and The Besglos Polish Company in Burnley, in 2007.

Both firms had been trading since the 1960s but within months of Mr Batchelor taking over they were in administration with total debts of £750,000.

Mr Batchelor took £50,000 out of the businesses between June and August 2007 when he knew they were insolvent. He had also taken control of the businesses by using their funds to buy shares, a practice which is not illegal but the Insolvency Service said the structure of the acquisition was “detrimental to creditors”.

Mr Batchelor was not formally appointed as a director of Moornate, and was a director of Besglos for just three days, but he directed overall strategy of the firms when he took control of them.

He took over Besglos on March 28, 2007 and it was in administration by August 7 that year. Moornate was bought on April 30, 2007, but in administration within three months.

In the disqualification undertaking signed by Mr Batchelor he did not dispute that he caused the companies to enter into transactions which were to the detriment of the companies’ creditors.

In the late 1990s Mr Batchelor ran a team in the British Touring Car Championship and he made the headlines in 2002 when he bought York City. By December that year the club was in administration.

He resurfaced in 2008 when he attempted to buy Mansfield Town and turn the club into Harchester United. When that plan failed he turned his attention to Chester City.

That plan also failed after the move was blocked by the then owner Stephen Vaughan. Last month Mr Vaughan was banned from acting as a company director for 11 years for his activities while a director at Widnes Rugby League Football Club.