Disqualified director jailed for breaching ban

A MANCHESTER man who was involved in a publishing scam five years ago has been jailed for 13 months for running companies while being banned from holding directorships.

According to the Insolvency Service, Wesley Gregory was a director of 13 companies – some of them under different names – between 2008 and 2012 despite having been disqualified for eight years in 2008.

At Manchester Crown Court he admitted four counts of acting as a director while disqualified. He received 13 months for each count, with the sentences running concurrently.

Gregory was originally disqualified for his role as a director at Global Media Productions which was wound up by the Government in 2006. It took money to produce safety booklets, saying proceeds would be donated to a children’s charity, but nothing was donated or made. The company generated sales of £190,000 but went into liquidation with debts of £284,313.

The Insolvency Service said Gregory set up 11 companies under three names, changing his name by deed poll to David Gill, Edward Owen and Michael Standing. Two payment protection insurance (PPI) claims businesses were then set up by aquaintances but run by Gregory.

Deputy chief investigation officer, Mike Williams from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, said: “Disqualifying persons from acting as company directors is an important element in our role of public protection in business activity. In this case, Mr Gregory went to great lengths to disguise he was acting as a director when he was already disqualified and showed a total disregard for the law.

“Mr Gregory’s guilty pleas indicate the weight of evidence against him gathered by the investigation officer, and I am pleased that in sentencing him the judge recognised the significant level of his offence. Let this be a clear message to others that the Department for Business will rigorously investigate and prosecute such offences.”