and here maybe the bigger story
that website gives an address of 20-22 Wenlock Road, London, N1 7GU
googling that leads to this news story
External Link/Members Only" A network of phantom companies with reported combined assets of over £13 million have been ordered into liquidation by the High Court on grounds of public interest.
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The reported assets supposedly included over £1.6 million in cash, with the companies run solely as vehicles for fraud to obtain credit by filing false accounts and other false information.
The winding-up orders follow petitions presented by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, issued following confidential enquiries by Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service.
The Court heard that all bar one of the companies were incorporated by the same formation agent, a Jade Evans (who has not been located), and her company, ABN Company Formations Ltd (now dissolved). The Court also heard that over 50 other companies had been formed by Jade Evans and utilised as part of an extensive network of companies engaged in systematic fraud
The Court heard that all bar one of the companies were incorporated by the same formation agent, a Jade Evans (who has not been located), and her company, ABN Company Formations Ltd (now dissolved). The Court also heard that over 50 other companies had been formed by Jade Evans and utilised as part of an extensive network of companies engaged in systematic fraud.
The investigation showed how the six companies before the Court had common features such as inexplicable and dramatic increases in their share capital, the appointment of fictitious officers, identity theft, the filing of false accounts reporting significant assets and trading, providing one another with favourable trade references, ordering goods whatever the price quoted by the supplier, creating websites with content usually taken from other genuine sites, all to give the impression of a bona fide business. The companies nevertheless had no presence at their registered offices.
The companies targeted building trade suppliers, depriving them of more than £300,000 of goods comprising cable and other electrical goods, steel and reinforcing rods, ceramic tiles, paint, flooring, artificial grass and computer and office supplies.
The goods fraudulently obtained were delivered to common addresses, one in Milton Keynes and two in Essex."
Two of the companies were
Unique Wholesale Ltd (company registration number 08378144) was incorporated on 28 January 2013. The registered office of the company is
145-157 St Johns Street, London, WC1V 4PW. The present sole recorded director is a Graham Flemming (described as a company director).
The company’s share capital on incorporation was £2. It was subsequently increased to £49,000 comprising 49,000 ordinary £1 shares all shown to be held by the person calling himself Mr Flemming.
The company’s filed accounts purport to show total assets as at 31 January 2014 of £1,459,136 (including cash of £279,123) and a reported turnover of £3,658,301 and profit of £745,832.
The company sought credit from suppliers and obtained goods of at least £40,562 for the supply of artificial grass and ceramic tiles
3D Media Ltd (company registration number 08378872) was incorporated on 29 January 2013. The registered office of the company is
20-22 Wenlock Road, London, N1 7GU (changed on 28 October 2015 from Unit 21, Nobel Square, Burnt Mills, Basildon, Essex, SS13 1DY). The present sole recorded director is a Nigel Weekes (described as a company director).
The company’s share capital on incorporation was £1. It was subsequently increased to £10,000 comprising 10,000 ordinary shares of £1 each all shown to be held by a Hardev Singh Degan.
The company’s filed accounts purport to show total assets as at 30 June 2015 of £3,415,689 (including cash £360,100) and a reported turnover since incorporation of £8,492,978 with accumulated profits of £2,507,926.
The company operated a website:
External Link/Members OnlyThe company sought credit from suppliers and obtained goods of at least £49,089 for the supply of cable and other electrical supplies.
"In ordering Battle Business Services Ltd, Hydro Serv Ltd, Winnington Marketing Ltd, Unique Wholesale Ltd, Zen IT Ltd and 3D Media Ltd into liquidation on grounds of public interest on 23 February 2016, Mr Registrar Briggs said:
… all six companies before me are connected … all bar one of the companies were formed by a Jade Evans and her former company ABN Company Formations Ltd … the dealings by these companies are essentially a fraud on the public … a company was formed, soon after directors were appointed who could not be located, minimal share capital was shown to then increase substantially and accounts were filed showing substantial assets and a very healthy financial and credit worthy position … one of the companies, Battle Business Services, hasn’t filed accounts and its sole purpose was to provide references for the other companies that they were credit worthy … those suppliers who sought to trade with these companies were lulled into a falsehood that they would be paid in the normal course of trading with a credit worthy purchaser … the companies were not credit worthy because of the manipulation of the accounts presented … credit was falsely obtained and goods were supplied … once delivered they have not been recovered and no payment has been made … the investigation can only be described as thorough and has enabled me to conclude that unless action is taken there is a risk to the public from the activities of these companies … none of the companies appears today and the allegations against them are unopposed … the petition against one of the companies, Unique Wholesale, is supported by a creditor owed some £31,000 … Counsel for the supporting creditor has informed me that the goods supplied comprised artificial grass … I am satisfied that the companies demonstrate a complete lack of commercial probity and it is in the public interest for these companies to be wound up … it strikes me there is strong evidence of fraud … in my judgement it is just and equitable to wind up these companies and I do so order."
