A joinery boss who falsely claimed a \u00a330,000 Covid loan has been given a suspended prison sentence.<\/p>\n
Charles Ling, of North Road, Havering-atte-Bower, Romford, Essex, was sentenced to 15 months in custody, suspended for 18 months, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, for fraud related to the Covid support scheme, according to a statement from the Insolvency Service.<\/p>\n
He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, it said.<\/p>\n
The court heard that the 57-year-old, who ran Bradcon (Bespoke) Joinery Ltd, had applied for two Bounce Back Loans under the government\u2019s scheme, which was introduced to help companies recover from the impact of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
An investigation by the Insolvency Service found no wrongdoing with the initial loan, worth \u00a320,000.<\/p>\n
However, the probe revealed that Ling had falsely claimed that the second award, worth \u00a330,000, was his first loan, the Insolvency Service said.<\/p>\n
It also uncovered that the joinery boss withdrew \u00a39,000 of the latter loan in cash and transferred another \u00a32,500 for a mortgage payment. The Insolvency Service concluded that none of this \u00a311,500 was used for business purposes.<\/p>\n
Ling paid back the \u00a330,000 loan after the prosecution action commenced.<\/p>\n
However, on 2 April this year, he was charged with one count of fraud by false representation, according to the government agency\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
David Snasdell, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: \u201cCharles Ling stated that this was his first Covid Bounce Back Loan, and that it would be spent wholly on his joinery business, but this was not the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese loans were designed to help support businesses through the pandemic, not for personal use at the expense of the public purse.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe are committed to investigating these cases and bringing those responsible to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Companies House records show a voluntary liquidator was appointed to Bradcon (Bespoke) Joinery Ltd in December 2022.<\/p>\n