Shire-brokered leases linked to fresh fraud allegations

Shire Leasing already faces pressure from the collapse of
hundreds of leases connected to the suppliers Elumina Iberica,
Global Telecoms & Technology and Lifestyle TV Ltd.

The intermediary, which brokered many of these leases, also
brokered around 1,000 leases of telephone equipment supplied by
Business Telecom Ltd, whose managing director and two employees
have just been charged with conspiracy to defraud.

It is claimed that the trio – Christopher Boughton-Fox, MD of
Business Telecom Ltd, Jonathan Parish and Neil Debenham – persuaded
people to enter into lease arrangements for the supply of
telecommunications systems and accessories by falsely representing
that Business Telecom was connected with or the business arm of
British Telecom PLC.

Shire Leasing brokered around 1,000 leases over a 10-year period
with Business Telecom Ltd. Boughton-Fox is alleged to have induced
businesses and individuals across East Anglia to sign up to
contracts on a false basis between January 2005 and February
2008.

The prosecution by Norfolk County Council Trading Standards alleges
that lease customers – which, according to trading standard
investigators, include schools in Norfolk and neighbouring counties
– were told their telephone lines and equipment were about to be
made obsolete due to digitisation of the network and had to switch
over to the new systems by law.

The prosecution is being brought by Norfolk County Council Trading
Standards. All three appeared earlier this month for a preliminary
hearing and were bailed to appear again on September 18 for a
further hearing.