Essex mobile catering firm duo banned for a total of 16 years

Vicki Holland, 47 and Darren Robert Trutt, 51, both from Harlow in Essex were directors of Crepe Heaven Ltd, which was incorporated in 2013 and ran as a mobile catering company until it went into liquidation in October 2021.

With Mr Trutt’s backing, Ms Holland applied for a Bounce Back Loan for Crepe Heaven in 2020. BBLs were government-backed loans designed to support businesses through the COVID pandemic. Under the rules of the scheme, companies were allowed to borrow up to 25 per cent of their 2019 turnover, up to a maximum of £50,000.

In the application for the loan, Ms Holland stated that Crepe Heaven’s turnover for 2019 was £100,000. The company received a BBL payment of £20,000 in August 2020, but subsequently went into liquidation in October 2021. At the point of liquidation, its debts were almost £21,000, including the full amount of the loan.

The liquidation triggered an Insolvency Service investigation, which discovered that Crepe Heaven’s turnover in 2019 had been just over £13,000, rather than the £100,000 claimed, with income of less than £12,000. This would have entitled the company to a BBL of £2,960.

The Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Ms Holland for causing Crepe Heaven to overstate its turnover on its application for a BBL resulting in Crepe Heaven Ltd receiving £17,040 more than it was entitled.

The Secretary of State also accepted a disqualification undertaking from Mr Trutt for his part in allowing Crepe Heaven to overstate its turnover on the BBL application.

Both directors’ bans begin on 1 November 2022, with Ms Holland’s lasting for nine years and Mr Trutt’s ending after seven years.

The disqualification undertakings prevent the pair from directly, or indirectly, becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

The liquidator has recovered £5,000 from the directors as a final settlement.

Martin Gitner, deputy head of Insolvent Investigation, said Bounce Back Loans were introduced to help viable businesses through the most testing of times, providing them with financial support during the pandemic to protect jobs and return to prosperity.

“The conduct of Vicki Holland and Darren Trutt fell extremely short of the standards required of company directors and they been removed from the corporate arena for a significant amount of time. Their bans should serve as a clear warning that if you abuse Government support schemes you should expect to be caught and punished,” he said.