MR GARY ROBERTS

Disqualified from

2024-02-16

Date of birth on record

July 1964

Gary Roberts (“Mr Roberts”) caused GR Developments 1 Limited (“GRD”) to take customer prepayments when GRD was insolvent and had no reasonable prospect of being able to complete the contracted works, in that: • As at 10 May 2021 there is no evidence that the company had any assets, other than a disputed £5,000 book debt, and the balance on its bank account stood at £7,310. It had liabilities estimated by the director at £20,000, including one County Court Judgment in the sum of £7,217 dated 22 March 2021. • On 10 May 2021 GRD obtained a £10,000 prepayment from a customer in respect of a contract for domestic building works. • On 17 May 2021, Mr Roberts sought Insolvency advice from an Insolvency Practitioner with a view to placing GRD into liquidation. • On 24 May 2021 Mr Roberts signed the terms of engagement with the Insolvency Practitioner and commenced the process to put GRD into liquidation. • On 02 June 2021 a payment of £3,600 was made to the Insolvency Practitioner in respect of the liquidation fee, using funds received from the customer by way of a prepayment on the building works. • On 03 June 2021 a further County Court Judgment in the sum of £9,331, was issued against GRD. • On 30 June 2021 GRD obtained a further £7,000 prepayment from the same customer. • The company ceased trading on or around 09 July 2021 (the date of the last transaction on its bank account) and entered liquidation on 11 August 2021 with an estimated deficiency in respect of creditors of £37,543, which has increased to £77,067, following receipt of claims. • The works for which the £17,000 prepayments were made have not been completed, the executed works having an estimated value of £4,000. • Analysis of the company’s bank statements shows that as at 24 May 2021, when the Insolvency Practitioner was instructed, the balance on the account was £12,866. In the subsequent period to the last transaction on 09 July 2021, the company received £9,040, including the £7,000 prepayment referred to above and expended £22,576. Of this expenditure Mr Roberts received £11,513, the sum of £3,600 was paid to the Insolvency Practitioner, Trade and Expense debts paid amounted to £5,557, wages paid were £1,572, and there was £13 incurred in charges. At Liquidation on 11 August 2021 debts estimated at £77,068 were owed comprising £11,543 to HMRC and £65,525 to Trade, Expense and Consumer Creditors. Gary Roberts (“Mr Roberts”) failed to ensure that GRD maintained and/or preserved adequate accounting records from incorporation on 19 November 2019 to 11 August 2021 or alternatively failed to deliver up such records as were maintained/preserved to the Liquidators. In the absence of accounting records, it has not been possible to determine: • The reason for payments made to Mr Roberts, between 01 September 2020 and 09 July 2021, in the total sum of £23,356, being additional to wage payments of £5,894. • The reason for payments made to various unknown parties in the total sum of £4,734 between 30 November 2020 and 07 June 2021. • whether the company had any debtors owing money to the company at liquidation. • whether the company had any assets/stock which have not been declared at liquidation.