Sheffield deli boss sentenced for running business while banned

Philip John Mottram, 55, from Sheffield, appeared at Sheffield Magistrates Court on 10 November 2022 where he was sentenced before District Judge Redhouse to a 12-month community order requiring 80 hours of unpaid work in the community and up to 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He also had to pay costs of £2,000 and a victim surcharge of £60.

The court heard that Mr Mottram was the sole director of Urbandeli Ltd, which traded as a café called Urban Deli on Campo Lane in Sheffield until the business went into liquidation in March 2017.

But liquidators discovered that Mr Mottram had been banned as a director for a year in April 2016 after a case had been brought against him by Companies House for failing to provide a copy of the company accounts.

Disqualified directors are banned from forming, managing or promoting companies for the duration of their ban. People who breach the terms of the disqualification are committing a criminal offence and could be fined and/or go to prison for up to two years.

Mr Mottram also ignored requests by Urbandeli’s liquidators to hand over company books and records — a legal requirement during a company’s liquidation.

The liquidators shared their findings with the Insolvency Service, which triggered an investigation. But Mr Mottram failed to answer investigators’ questions about his role in the company while he was banned as a director.

Following the investigation, Mr Mottram was charged with four separate offences but twice failed to turn up to court hearings, which led to his arrest.

He previously pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates Court to failing to hand over company books to liquidators and to being in charge of a company during his one-year ban as a director.

Julie Barnes, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Philip Mottram had scant regard for his disqualification as a company director, didn’t cooperate with investigators and showed little respect for the courts.

“This type of criminality has a huge impact on the confidence of the UK Business community. Mottram’s sentencing will be a warning to others that the Insolvency Service is committed to bringing lawbreakers to justice.”