A WREXHAM man who carried on acting as a company director whilst barred from doing so has been sentenced.
Neil Worthington, of Nant y Ffrith in Bwlchgwyn, appeared for sentence at Mold Crown Court on Thursday morning.
The 51-year-old had previously admitted two counts of acting as a company director whilst disqualified form doing so.
Thomas Worsfold, prosecuting, told the court that from 2014 onwards, Worthington was the sole director of a company called Network Solutions Assist Ltd.
But by July 2018, a liquidator was appointed as the business was entering voluntary liquidation.
Worthington signed an undertaking, barring him from being a company director for a period of five years.
That five years expired on Thursday - the day of Worthington's sentencing.
Prior to the liquidation of his company, the defendant incorporated two new, separate IT businesses and became sole director of both of them.
His involvement in those companies came to light when Worthington was made bankrupt in 2022 and the Insolvency Service investigated his finances.
It was discovered he'd been acting as a director; paying salaries and pensions, managing banking and other such duties - in breach of the ban.
During the period one of the businesses traded, the defendant paid employees just under £220,000 and received more than £450,000 himself - though there was "some obscurity" over the true figure he'd taken as the accounts were never filed with companies house.
When he was spoken to, Worthington said he thought his directorship of the two companies would be taken away from him automatically, and when it wasn't he carried on to keep his income.
He admitted he hadn't informed his family about the disqualification.
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Mr Worsfold told the court some financial harm had come to the defendant's employees - who were left out of pocket and in difficulty over their salary due to the defendant's "mishandling" of the companies.
That, he added, was exactly the type of conduct the ban had been put in place to prevent.
Patrick Geddes, defending, said: "His admissions were made back in 2022 when he was interviewed as part of the application for bankruptcy.
"When he was made subject to the disqualification in 2019, he seems to have had no advice.
"Ignorance is not an excuse, but there's a lack of understanding and appreciation of the requirements and the ramifications which have brought him here.
"His actions are best explained in his interview. He said - I'm just a complete and utter idiot, I buried my head in the sand and carried on trying to keep customers happy."
Mr Geddes said the businesses were his client's only income at the time and he was looking after his family.
He added: "He is, I submit, a good, family man who has got way in over his head.
"He should not have set up his own business and has no desire to run one ever again.
"He was not a man living a lavish lifestyle as a result of these offences.
"It was his only source of income to support his family."
Judge Timothy Petts told the defendant he'd "made matters much worse" for himself by his actions.
Worthington received a 12 month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.
He was banned from acting as a company director for six years.
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