“Intrinsically dishonest” Roy Goss jailed for four years and nine months

A dodgy company director who operated electrical contracting firms while bankrupt and forged documents has been jailed for four years and nine months.

Roy Harold Goss, 67, of Lichfield Road, Cambridge, was convicted in Croydon Crown Court of 18 charges, including offences relating to the management of companies in Swansea and Croydon.

He was also disqualified from acting as a director or in the management of a company for 10 years.

In passing sentence, Judge Kenneth MacRae said Goss was "intrinsically dishonest" and a "menace to the commercial and business community". Goss' companies ran up unpaid debts of £3m.

Business minister Pat McFadden said: "We are determined to crack down on cheats like these who profit by deception.

"When someone acts in this way they are effectively stealing from honest businesses, who are owed money and can suffer as a result.

"This prosecution sends a clear message to would-be fraudsters that they won't get away with it."

Goss was convicted of the following offences:

* eight charges of acting in the management of companies whilst an undischarged bankrupt

* three charges of making or using forged documents

* two charges of perjury

* two charges of acting with intent to pervert the course of justice contrary to common law

* three charges of failing to deliver the records of three of the companies to the liquidator following liquidation.

Goss became bankrupt in 2000 prohibiting him from acting as a director of a company, or taking part in the promotion, formation or management of a company.

He breached this restriction in relation to eight companies between 2000 and 2006, five electrical contracting firms in Swansea and three air conditioning businesses in Croydon. Six of the companies went into liquidation, leaving unpaid debts of £3m.

He then sought to avoid the consequences of the bankruptcy and legal proceedings brought against him.

His attempts included:

* pretending that his estranged wife, Fay Goss was a director and running the companies and submitting false documents purporting to be signed by her

* writing to credit reference agencies enclosing copies of bogus High Court Orders purporting to have been made by a High Court Judge annulling the bankruptcy order

* falsely claiming that two of the companies were run not by him, but by his cousin, Royston Goss.