Legal News

Contempt—false statements—sentencing (North of England Coachworks v Khan)

Published on: 06 October 2020

Table of contents

  • What are the practical implications of this case?
  • What was the background?
  • What did the court decide?
  • Case details

Article summary

Dispute Resolution analysis: This case concerned an application made during existing proceedings to commit Mr Khan, the respondent, to prison for admitted false statements made within the attachments to his defence in a civil claim, which had been verified by a statement of truth. The false statements related to entries in a schedule which the respondent said related to legitimate company expenses, but were in fact payments to prostitutes for his personal benefit. While the court questioned the practice of making such an application within existing proceedings, it nonetheless proceeded to sentence the respondent to ten weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for one year. The court was guided by the sentencing principles outlined in Liverpool Victoria Insurance Co Ltd v Khan and Zafar. The case is useful for any practitioner considering making a committal application within existing proceedings. Written by Alexander West, barrister at Albion Chambers.

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