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Beautician jailed after conning clients and businesses out of more than £100,000

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 04 August 2011

Jasmine Singh, also known as Jasmine Singh Paul, Jasmine Bajwa and Jasmine Kaur Bajwa, was this week sentenced to 23 months imprisonment for offences including obtaining credit while bankrupt, acting in the management of a company while bankrupt, theft and obtaining money by deception. Ms Singh was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 1 August as the result of a criminal investigation and prosecution by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) followed a civil investigation by The Insolvency Service.

Ms Singh pleaded guilty to:-

Obtaining nearly £100,000 of credit while bankrupt without disclosing her bankrupt status;Acting as a director of a company, ‘Celebs at Jasmine Paul Limited’, between 19 April 2004 and 1 April 2005, even though she was disqualified from doing so by her bankruptcy;Theft of £6,665 and obtaining money by deception; andProcuring the execution of a valuable security by deception to the value of £25,000.

Commenting on the sentence, Stephen Speed, Chief Executive of The Insolvency Service said:

“People struggling with debt who want to benefit from the bankruptcy procedure must be prepared to live within the restrictions it comes with. The Insolvency Service works hard to manage and maintain an insolvency regime which helps those in genuine need to deal with their debts and make a fresh financial start. Those who abuse this process will find themselves subject to Bankruptcy Restrictions Orders. And, the court has made this clear with the sentence given to Ms Singh.”

Ms Singh, a currently unemployed 42 year-old beautician from Hounslow, was made bankrupt for the second time in the name of Jasmine Singh Paul on 21 September 2005 and was discharged from her bankruptcy on 21 September 2006. While she was bankrupt she acted as a director of a company called ‘Celebs at Jasmine Paul’ which had a beauty salon in Tentelow Lane, Norwood Green, Southall. Investigators found that while bankrupt Ms Singh obtained nearly £50,000 from two of her clients and two loans from finance companies. The loans were used to purchase a Mini One convertible and a BMW 3 Series.

In respect of deceiving salon clients, this included asking a customer to loan her an amount of money, to be paid by electronic transfer, to which the customer agreed. As the customer did not know how to make the transfer, Ms Singh persuaded the client to disclose her personal banking details to her so that she, Ms Singh, could make the transaction herself. In addition to the agreed amount Ms Singh also transferred a further £6,665.

In respect of money received from her clients, Ms Singh committed these offences after befriending the clients, making them feel they were in a confidential relationship with her and then persuading them to give her money when they felt sorry for her. Ms Singh told them she had marital difficulties, no parental support and that she had fallen for a man who had run off with £40,000 of her money. She confided in one customer that she needed to buy her husband out of the home they owned and the customer gave her £25,000 to enable her to do this. The house was not owned by her or her husband.

Following an Insolvency Service investigation into her poor financial conduct Ms Singh was given a 13-year Bankruptcy Restriction Order on 6 November 2006 which expires on 6 November 2019.

Liam Mannall, Deputy Chief Investigation Officer for Department for Business Innovation and Skills said:

“The Insolvency Service extended the lifetime of Ms Singh’s bankruptcy following the findings of their investigation and passed her case on to be considered for a criminal prosecution. Our own examination into Ms Singh’s behaviour exposed a catalogue of deception and the sentence handed down today sends a very clear message - abuse of the insolvency regime, theft and deception are serious crimes that will not be tolerated.”

Ends

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Notes to Editors

What are Bankruptcy Restrictions? These are restrictions set out in insolvency law that the bankrupt is subject to until they are discharged from bankruptcy – which normally lasts for 12 months - and includes that bankrupts:-- must disclose their status to a credit provider if they wish to get credit of more than £500;- who carry on business in a different name from the name in which they were made bankrupt, must disclose to those they wish to do business with the name (or trading style) under which they were made bankrupt;- may not act as the director of a company nor take part in its promotion, formation or management unless they have a court’s permission to do so;

- may not act as an insolvency practitioner, or as the receiver or manager of the property of a company on behalf of debenture holders;

- may not be a Member of Parliament in England or Wales.

2. What are Bankruptcy Restrictions Orders and Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertakings? If the Official Receiver considers that the conduct of a bankrupt has been dishonest or blameworthy in some other way, he (or she) will report the facts to court and ask for a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order (BRO) to be made. The court will consider this report and any other evidence put before it, and will decide whether it should make a BRO. If it does, the bankrupt will be subject to certain restrictions for the period stated in the order. This can be from 2 to 15 years.

The bankrupt may instead agree to a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU) which has the same effect as an order, but will mean that the matter does not go to court.

3. Ms Jasmine Singh was given a 13 -year Bankruptcy Restrictions Order on 6 November 2006 following the Official Receiver’s investigation into her financial conduct. She was last registered as living in Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire.

4. What is the role of the Official Receiver? When a court has made an insolvency order (a personal bankruptcy against an individual or a winding-up order against a company) the Official Receiver, a civil servant of The insolvency Service with wide ranging statutory powers to obtain information, is responsible for collecting and protecting any assets for the benefit of creditors. When the Official Receiver thinks there is cause to do so they can also investigate, in the public interest, the conduct and financial affairs of the bankrupt for the period leading up to the insolvency order being made.

5. The Department for Business, Innovations and Skills prosecutes a range of criminal insolvency cases in Magistrates and Crown Courts across the country. Most of the cases are referred by The Insolvency Service.

6. The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. The Service also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession; deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures; assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees; provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds; and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice. Further information about the work of The Insolvency Service is available from http://www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency

7. Media enquiries should be directed to:-

Ade Daramy, Press Officer 020 7596 6187

Contacts:

Ade Daramy
Phone: 020 7596 6187
ade.daramy@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk