SFO seeks £200,000 after Deloitte unearths Ken Thorne Group boss fraud

SFO seeks £200,000 after Deloitte unearths Ken Thorne Group boss fraud

Serious Fraud Office gunning for almost £200,000 repayment from director in the wake of Deloitte liquidators uncovering fraudulent activity at collapsed car reseller

A probe by liquidators after a fraud at one of the country’s first car supermarkets has seen the SFO hit a former director with a £200,000 confiscation order.

Finance companies were duped into thinking cars held by Ken Thorne Group, of which Nigel Thorne was a director, had been paid for. It fraudulently used the cars as collateral to secure funding from the creditors.

Ken Thorne Group stopped trading in 2002 after the scandal, which saw creditors appoint liquidators from Deloitte.

SFO papers said Deloitte experts found a number of suspicious transactions and “other irregularities” at the company and filed a report to the Department of Trade and Industry.

Although Nigel Thorne is currently bankrupt, the SFO is targeting money given to his family as gifts if he fails to pay back £198,090.

The dossier was passed to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) who carried out a full investigation in association with South Wales Police.

The probe resulted in two directors at the group, Andrew Thorne and Nigel Thorne sentenced to prison terms.

The business was created by the directors’ father Ken Thorne in the 1960’s, and increased its brand recognition with the sponsorship of Cardiff City Football Club and the World Powerboat Championships.

Further reading:

Administrator signs deal to save Crystal Palace

Highland Airways should be dissolved, suggest PwC administrators

Mercer administrators called to Maple Leaf Consulting

Deloitte admits 32 partners into the firm

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource