HOW THE HELL DID HE GET THE JOB?
THE MAN appointed to orchestrate a financial modernisation programme at three Scottish football clubs is a convicted fraudster, a sex pest and racist.
Chris Norminton is the managing director of Sporting Pay, which has signed deals to install cashless payment facilities at Rangers, Hibs and St Mirren.
But we can reveal that Norminton, 35, was banned from being a company director in 2013 after forging documents and lying to defraud an investor out of £21,000.
An English court heard that he was a gambling addict who blew the cash on “lifestyle expenses”, prior to him receiving a 12-month suspended prison sentence.
At an Employment Tribunal in 2018, Norminton showed no sign of being reformed. A woman employed in sales
BY MARK McGIVERN under his management with the firm Cutpay Merchant Services Ltd exposed him as sex pest who groped her knee while she was driving and sent many sexually suggestive text messages.
Norminton, of Guisborough, Yorkshire, was also found by the tribunal to be a racist.
He told the employee: “That is just when you sell to P **** ”, while referring to the lowest rates of interest she was allowed to offer on sales.
A whistleblower said Norminton’s appointment showed a “complete lack of due diligence by the clubs involved.”
Even a quick Google of Norminton’s name would reveal his dodgy past.
The source said: “The man behind Sporting Pay is a convicted conman, disqualified director and also, more recently, found to have behaved in a racist and sexual
way.” During Norminton’s 2013 fraud trial at Teeside Crown Court, it was revealed that he made a string of false assurances to a potential investor.
He pocketed £21,000 after claiming he had a meeting with editors of a PC magazine and men’s magazine FHM. He also claimed he had an agreement to use a BMW as a prize to be advertised.
He provided bogus documents, supposedly linking the Royal Bank of Scotland to £120,000 worth of trading, and linking a media company to £16,000 worth of advertising.
A judge gave Norminton a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years with 100 hours’ unpaid work.
Norminton was ordered to pay the victim £21,750 compensation and was banned from being a company director for
four years. At the Employment Tribunal two years ago, Normington was accused of sexual and racial harassment. The panel ordered his employers pay £800 compensation for harassment related to race and religion and £3000 as compensation for the sexual harassment.
One incident in the evidence related to Norminton making reference to a Mela cultural festival, suggesting it would be “full of P **** ”.
He also sent a text message about a shop assistant to the woman claimant that referred to one of his employers’ religion. It said: “Tell him to f**k off, I bet he is a ‘sunny’ too.”
The tribunal ruled that this was a derogatory reference to Sunni Muslims.
Giving the tribunal’s written decision, Judge Bauer stated: “The claimant gave credible and cogent evidence on the
comments made by Mr Norminton regarding race and religion.”
Norminton said last night: “I dispute 100 per cent the accusations levelled at me in the tribunal. With the court case, I admit I made a mistake nearly 10 years ago which I have learned from and I have since built a business I am extremely proud of.
“I have also made personal contributions to establish gambling addiction courses in Scotland to help stop people making the same mistakes I did.”
Sporting Pay offers cashless payment solutions at stadia and has installed facilities at Lords and Edgbaston cricket grounds.
When the Record contacted the three football clubs about Norminton, only Hibs responded, saying they had no comment.
NORMINTON ON FRAUD CONVICTION