Engineer takes on adviser over forged signatures

A RETIRED businessman is taking legal action against his former advisers in what he describes as a “David and Goliath” battle.

Michael Doohan, 70, from Romiley, Stockport, claims he was a victim of convicted fraudster and former financial adviser Michael Garner who he says forged his signature on pension documents.

He has engaged some of the country’s foremost handwriting experts to prove he and his wife Madeleine did not sign the disputed documents.

He is working on his case against Garner’s former employer accountancy firm PKF – now BDO –  with John Lord, a partner at TLT Solicitors in Manchester.
 
The matter stems back to 1999 when Mr Doohan appointed PKF’s corporate finance arm to sell his businesses Garmar Engineering and JEM Sheet Metal and Wire.

He also moved the companies’ audit and accounting work to the firm and agreed to use its financial advisory team too, which at the time was run by Garner.

“I trusted them completely – I was an engineer by trade – but an amateur in financial matters.”

“My pension was a company scheme and it had to be moved to a SIP after I sold the business. At the time there was more than £1m in the fund.”

He understood that all commission due to PKF as a result of the transfer of the pension would be re-invested in his pension, and did not find out this was not the case until some years later. He claims Garner forged his and his wife’s signatures on numerous occasions to earn commission on investments.

Garner, from Heaton Mersey, Stockport was jailed in November 2013 for five years and eight months after pleading guilty to more than 20 charges of fraud and theft related to other matters at a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

The court heard that Garner became addicted on online gambling and stole nearly £1m from friends, clients and investors to feed his habit. Recorder Michael Hayton QC said he had been guilty of a “grotesque” breach of trust.

Mr Doohan said: “I feel totally betrayed and angry about what has happened to me. It has been a very long road and I have been totally dismayed by the attitude of PKF.

“They have used every trick in the book to delay things, but I am adamant that I will see this through.”

TLT’s John Lord said: “We are pursuing a number of enquiries following receipt of the handwriting experts reports. As the case is ongoing, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”

A spokesman for BDO said: “This matter has nothing whatsoever to do with BDO.  When BDO and PKF (UK) LLP merged, PKF Financial Planning Limited was not part of the merger. We are not aware of any suit against BDO with regard to this case. If any claim was made we would immediately apply to have it struck out.”