Ex-JJB boss to be sentenced

THE former chief executive of failed retailer JJB Sports will be sentenced on Monday after being found guilty of accepting more than £1m in kickbacks from suppliers.

Chris Ronnie from Wilmslow was convicted after a trial in London last month of pocketing six-figure payments from suppliers while in charge of Wigan-based JJB and failing to declare them to the board.

A sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court began on Friday and was adjourned until 0945 on Monday. Ronnie appeared alongside his associates David Ball and David Barrington, who were convicted of helping him cover his tracks.

Ronnie was chief executive of the sportswear firm between August 2007 and March 2009. The retailer fell into administration in 2012.

The businessman, who did not give evidence in his own defence, was convicted of three counts of fraud and two of furnishing false information.