Fraudster enjoyed £6m luxury life from deception

A FRAUDSTER was able to fund a six million pound life of luxury by ignoring laws banning him from being a company director after he was made bankrupt.

Jonathan France’s deception enabled him to fund a fleet of Aston Martins, Ferraris, a RollsRoyce and a McLaren.

The former Wakefield scrap metal dealer was also able to buy a five-bedroom house in Huddersfield, spend almost £200,000 on high-end furniture and splash out £70,000 on fine wines.

France, 46, was joined in his deception by two of his motor racing pals who helped him ignore disqualification restrictions and continued to run companies, while diverting millions of pounds from them.

France, Jody Firth, 37, and Graham Schofield, 53, were jailed for a total of 18 years at Leeds Crown Court.

France was first disqualified from being a director of limited companies for 14 years in 2004 for his role in the mismanagement of Eric France and Son (Metals) Limited which went into insolvency.

He was then declared bankrupt in November 2008 as he was unable to pay more than £7m to creditors.

France, of The Paddocks, Flockton, Huddersfield, pleaded guilty to four counts of fraudulently transferring property, three counts of acting as a director while bankrupt, as well as one count each for failing to disclose property to the official receiver or trustee, perjury, fraudulent trading, false accounting and money laundering. He was jailed for 10 years.

Firth, of Oakenshaw Lane, Wakefield, pleaded guilty to money laundering and helping France run a company despite being a bankrupt. He was sentenced to five years, four months. Schofield, of St Pauls Road, Mirfield, pleaded guilty to money laundering and was jailed for two- and-a-half years.