Paul Stanley to probe Harley Medical collapse

PAUL Stanley, an insolvency practitioner at Begbies Traynor in Manchester, has been appointed joint liquidator of cosmetic surgery business Harley Medical Centre Ltd.

The business went into administration in November facing claims from thousands of women who were fitted with faulty breast implants supplied by French firm Poly Implants Protheses (PIP).

They are understood to have a claim for around £15m and want Mr Stanley to look into various transactions including the payment of a dividend of more than £1m in 2010.

The London office of accountancy firm Leonard Curtis was appointed administrator and sold the business to the directors through a new vehicle, Aesthetic and Cosmetic Surgery Ltd, in a pre-pack deal.

In their final report to creditors the administrators said: “Paul Stanley will be dealing with all matters in relation to an investigation into the directors’ conduct and company affairs prior to the administration and possible claims against the UK distributor of the PIP implants.”

It emerged that PIP, which also went into administration, was using unapproved gel in its products in 2010. Harley Medical fitted around 13,000 faulty implants, more than any other cosmetic surgery firm in the UK, according to the creditors’ report.

Harley Medical, which traded as the Harley Medical Group, had its headquarters in London but employed 175 staff at 30 offices across the country.