Businessman jailed for 21 months after taking £50,000 out of failing business

A businessman who ran an accident claims firm has been jailed for 21 months for fraudulently taking over £50,000 from his firm.

Darren Bullough, who ran Direct Assist Limited , was jailed when he appeared at Bolton Crown Court last week.

The 46-year-old was known from Bury was known for his extravagant lifestyle with a love of ‘expensive property and fast cars’.

Bullough’s business was fined for plaguing homes with nuisance calls and ended up being wound up.

As Direct Assist Limited was being wound up Bullough took £50,000 which should have gone to creditors and the taxman.

Bullough was given a 21-month prison sentence by a judge at Bolton Crown Court on Wednesday, after admitting fraudulently taking £50,697.94 from Direct Assist, as well as failing to provide company books and records to the liquidator.

Judge Timothy Stead said Bullough had a pattern of dishonesty going back several years.

In 1997 he was jailed for 12 months for stealing £28,000 from an employer by false accounting.

In 2004 he was convicted of obtaining property by deception through not paying bills.

Bullough set up Direct Assist in 2007 but the company, based in Bury and Bolton, got into difficulties in 2012 to 2013, when corporation tax went unpaid.

In 2014, when the unpaid tax bill stood at £658,000, HM Revenue and Customs petitioned a court to wind up the company.

The following day Bullough started removing money from the firm.

Around £28,000 went to family members, £3,600 was removed from the company’s bank account and £18,500 was spent on Direct Assist’s credit card.

The company bank account was frozen and Direct Assist formally entered into compulsory liquidation in March 2015 with £1.3m  debts.

An investigation by the Insolvency Service was made difficult as investigators could not find any evidence of company records from July 2013 onwards.

Bullough was also banned from being a company director for seven years.

The Information Commissioner’s Office fined the firm £80,000 in 2015 for making nuisance calls.

More than 800 complaints were made by people who had been called despite being registered with the Telephone Preference Service.