The Insolvency Service has reported that director, Sehrish Yasmin, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, after she fraudulently obtained two Bounce Back Loans (BBL) and used the funds for her own personal gain.

The Insolvency Service has reported that restaurant owner, Syed Hussain, has been jailed for 18 months and ordered to repay more than £36,000 after he fraudulently secured a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan (BBL) and dissolved his company the day he received the money.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Michael Haslam, director of M&J Builders Limited, was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of fraudulent trading in May 2026. Haslam was also disqualified as a company director for the maximum period of 15 years. The Insolvency Service found that Haslam received around £210,000 from seven customers between November 2020 and 2022 while M&J Builders Limited was insolvent. The funds were found to have been used for cash withdrawals, online purchases and payments to family members.

The Insolvency Service has announced the sentencing of Vasile Hrusca for misappropriating company funds and the expropriation of plant machinery. Hrusca was issued an 18-month suspended prison sentence, disqualified as a company director for four years, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work for the fraudulent withdrawal of £67,000 from his failing company to settle a hire purchase agreement on an Audi RS6, and the sale of plant machinery worth £89,256 that was still subject to hire purchase agreements.

The Insolvency Service reported that Prashant Jobanputra, director of Genesis Web Limited, was sentenced to an 18‑month suspended prison term, a three‑year director disqualification and a £5,000 fine for fraudulently obtaining two £50,000 BBLs (bounce back loans), totaling £100,000. Jobanputra falsely declared on his second application that he had not previously sought financial support under the emergency scheme—even though businesses were permitted only one loan under the programme.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Steven Brookes was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to 3 years' imprisonment and disqualified from acting as a director for 10 years, having pleaded guilty in November 2025 to 11 charges of fraud and acting as a director while disqualified. Between May and October 2020, Brookes fraudulently obtained six Bounce Back Loans totalling £300,000 across five companies, submitting applications in his wife's name without her knowledge and using inflated or fabricated turnover figures to support them. Brookes had been subject to a director disqualification since April 2010 following a conviction for stealing mobile phones. Only £7,494 of the £300,000 has been repaid, and the Insolvency Service is pursuing recovery of the outstanding funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Richard Courtenay was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 3 September 2026 to three years' imprisonment, suspended for three years, after pleading guilty in July 2026 to nine counts of fraud and one count of money laundering. He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and attend 10 days of rehabilitation activity. Between May and June 2020, Courtenay made nine Bounce Back Loan (BBL) applications of £50,000 each across five companies, involving fraudulent turnover declarations and, in several cases, multiple applications for the same company despite the scheme permitting only one loan per business. The Insolvency Service said the funds were not used for business purposes and were transferred to Courtenay's personal accounts and other companies, with some funds obtained for one company also used to purchase cryptoassets. He repaid the £450,000 in full after the Insolvency Service began investigating his conduct.

The Insolvency Service has reported the sentencing of two men following an insolvency fraud and money laundering investigation. Tariq Sarwar was sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court and disqualified from acting as a director for 10 years, having admitted fraudulently removing assets in anticipation of winding up and acting as a director while disqualified in April 2026. Christopher Francis pleaded guilty mid-trial in May 2026 to one count of money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. He received a custodial sentence of 2 years and 1 month, suspended for 2 years and was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work. Sarwar fraudulently transferred more than £3.1 million from the proceeds of the sale of Langley Mill Business Park, Salford—the sole substantial asset of A Property Management Limited—to KYCA Trading Limited, which was directed by Francis. Francis laundered the funds through a network of accounts and companies back to Sarwar, leaving creditors owed more than £500,000. The Insolvency Service has commenced confiscation proceedings.

The Insolvency Service has reported that seven companies promoting ‘corporate rescue’ scheme have been shut down. Atherton (UK) Ltd, Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited and five associated companies undermined the insolvency regime after they facilitated the sale of struggling companies and encouraged directors to dispose of assets before selling.

The Insolvency Service announces the disqualification of Qiqing He, the former manager of a Chinese takeaway in Aberdeen, from acting as a company director for seven years. The ban follows the discovery of three illegal workers at the Chinese takeaway by immigration enforcement in September 2022. The company was fined £30,000 for the immigration breach, which remains unpaid.

The Insolvency Service has reported that Sonia Simkins, a surgery manager from Dudley, has accepted a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU), following an Official Receiver investigation. The investigation found that between August 2019-December 2020 and June 2023-24, Simkins deducted £25,000 from staff wages for pension contributions but paid only £1,722 of the total £76,868 owed to the National Health Service (NHS) Pension Scheme. The BRU prevents her from managing limited companies or taking loans above £500 without disclosure until April 2032. The case emerged after her Rowley Regis surgery closed in July 2024, following a bankruptcy order.

The Insolvency Service reports the winding up of Encore Capital Group Inc Ltd, a debt recovery company based in Bristol, following a High Court winding up hearing on 25 February 2025. The Bristol-based company was found to have engaged in fraudulent practices, including failing to forward collected debts to clients, falsely claiming Financial Conduct Authority regulation, and purporting to have court-appointed collection authority. The investigation identified at least 27 complainants who reported partial or complete retention of collected funds by the company.