Richard David Brown, 72, received a 20 month suspended prison sentence whilst Alan Roche, 56, and Richard Edward Brown, 37, were given community orders at Swindon Crown Court on 26 July.

The court heard that Richard David Brown and Alan Roche ran two companies, Door Stores (Swindon) Ltd, incorporated in July 2006, and Fire Secured Door Sets Ltd, incorporated in June 2009.

Richard Edward Brown, who is the son of Richard David Brown, and Alan Roche were listed as the company directors of both businesses, selling doors and fixtures.

In June 2010, however, Alan Roche was made bankrupt and was required to resign directorship of both companies. Richard Brown Junior continued as company director.

In March 2011, Richard Brown Senior was disqualified from acting as a company director for 6 years as a result of his unfit conduct at another company. This meant he could not be involved in the day to day running of Door Stores or Fire Secured Door Sets.

Door Stores continued to trade successfully for a number of years until it went into liquidation in August 2015, owing creditors more than £240,000. All of Door Stores’ business was immediately transferred to the second company, Fire Secured Door Sets Ltd, with Richard Brown Junior and Alan Roche as directors.

Door Stores’ liquidation triggered an investigation and found that Richard Brown Senior and Alan Roche were both actively, yet illegitimately, involved in the day to day running of the company.

Alan Roche received the highest salary at Door Stores and Richard Brown Junior received a nominal wage, despite being the registered company director. Employees said all management was looked after by Richard Brown Senior and Alan Roche, whilst Richard Brown Junior was a sales associate at the company.

Due to their conduct at Door Stores, Alan Roche was disqualified for 3-and-a-half years in December 2016 and Richard Brown Senior was disqualified for 11 years in January 2017. Alan Roche again resigned from his directorship at Fire Secured Door Sets. Richard Edward Brown was disqualified for 3-and-a-half years.

Despite this, Alan Roche continued in the management of Fire Secured Door Sets until August 2017, whilst Richard Brown Senior continued operating until August 2019 when the company was dissolved.

The defendants were invited for interview with the Insolvency Service but none attended. Alan Roche provided a statement claiming he was just an employee of the companies.

The Insolvency Service launched criminal prosecutions against the 3 men and in May 2021, Richard David Brown pleaded guilty to 3 counts of acting in breach of a disqualification undertaking, while Alan Roche pleaded guilty to 1 count of acting in breach of a disqualification undertaking and two counts of acting as a director whilst being an undischarged bankrupt.

Richard Edward Brown pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting both defendants in being concerned in the management of Door Stores.

They were sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on 26 July. Richard Brown Sr received a 20 month suspended sentence and a further 13 year disqualification order and Alan Roche received an 18 month community order and a further 6 year disqualification order. Richard Brown Jr was given a 12 month community order.

Glenn Wicks, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

For several years, Richard Brown Senior and Alan Roche were actively managing two companies in flagrant and persistent breach of their disqualification breaches and bankruptcy restrictions. Throughout, Richard Brown Junior was listed as company director whilst only taking a small wage and leaving any company management to his father and Roche.

All three defendants had a total and repeated disregard for the disqualification undertakings they had signed and as a result have been brought before the courts.

Notes to editors

Richard David Brown is from Swindon and his date of birth is December 1948

Alan Roche is from Swindon and his date of birth is September 1954

Richard Edward Brown is from Swindon and his date of birth is October 1983

Door Stores (Swindon) Ltd (company no 05887116)

Fire Secured Door Sets Ltd (company no 06946320)

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

The Global Education Summit in London and why investing in Girls’ Education is the best investment we can make

“Later this week, Madagascar will be one of many countries attending the Global Education Summit in London. The purpose of the Summit, which is being co-hosted by the UK and Kenya: to raise US$5 billion for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), to help ensure quality education for boys and girls in 90 developing countries and territories, including here in Madagascar.

I had the pleasure this month to visit schools in Taolagnaro, Tsihombe and Antananarivo, including in the company of the National Education Minister, Mme Marie Michelle Sahondrarimalala. The purpose was to hear and see a little about the needs and wishes of children and teachers.

Malagasy pupils clearly strive for a better life through education. Some of those I chatted to said they like school because they want to be knowledgeable, to become a doctor or a teacher, and to have a better life in future. So what did they and their teachers want? Understandably, better school infrastructure, including classrooms; more textbooks; more access to technology; and improved teacher training.

Fortunately, these are all things, which the GPE is already helping on. As well as helping the Ministry on education sector reform, the Basic Education Support Programme, co-funded by the GPE and World Bank IDA, has so far constructed 400 classrooms, established 664 early learning centres and produced teacher training materials and improved curricula.

Indeed, since its creation in 2002, the GPE has already contributed to getting 160 million more children in developing countries into school and to the doubling of girls’ enrolment in the countries they work in.

Getting more girls into school, and keeping them there throughout secondary school, is particularly important, because traditionally it has been girls who have enjoyed less access to education. Even before the pandemic, over 52 million girls across the world were out of school, including 19 million of upper secondary school age. Covid-19 has only exacerbated the problem: adding to the many obstacles that girls can face to getting a quality education, such as poverty or child marriage.

Yet if girls don’t go to school, that is a problem not just for them but for the whole of society. Figures from across the world bears this out. Girls’ education boosts incomes and develops economies: with just one additional school year, a woman’s earnings can increase by a fifth. But it also creates healthier and safer societies. A child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live beyond the age of 5 years, twice as likely to attend school themselves – and 50% more likely to be immunised. If every girl went to secondary school worldwide, infant mortality could be cut in half, saving three million lives every year.

So that is why the UK is contributing a further US$600 million to the GPE – our objective, shared with our G7 partners, is to help 40 million more girls worldwide to go to school by 2026. It is also why, through the Global Education Summit, the UK and Kenya hope to persuade many other developed countries to contribute to the GPE while encouraging developing countries to commit at least 20% of their total public expenditure to education. Because, if we want to change the world for the better, education – and particularly girls’ education – is a good place to start.”

HMA Mr David Ashley

• Advanz increased the price of thyroid tablet packs from £20 in 2009 to £248 in 2017 – an increase of 1,110%.
• Latest CMA fine “sends a clear message” to the pharma sector that breaking the law will not be tolerated.

Following an investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that from 2009 until 2017 the pharmaceutical company Advanz charged excessive and unfair prices for supplying liothyronine tablets which are used to treat thyroid hormone deficiency.

They achieved this because liothyronine tablets were among a number of drugs that, although genericised, faced limited or no competition and therefore could sustain repeated price increases. This strategy, which began in 2007, involved an overall price increase for liothyronine tablets of more than 6,000%.

The CMA has fined the firms involved a total of over £100 million for the relevant periods in which they broke the law: Advanz (£40.9 million), together with HgCapital (£8.6 million) and Cinven (£51.9 million) – two private equity firms which were previously owners of the businesses now forming part of Advanz.

The price increases were not driven by any meaningful innovation or investment, volumes remained broadly stable, and the cost of producing the tablets did not increase significantly. NHS spending on the tablets in 2006, the year before the implementation of the strategy, was £600,000, but by 2009 had increased to more than £2.3 million and jumped to more than £30 million by 2016.

Eventually the drug was placed on the NHS ‘drop list’ in July 2015. This led to patients being faced with the prospect of having their current treatment stopped or having to purchase liothyronine tablets at their own expense. That is particularly concerning, given that many patients do not respond adequately to the main treatment for hypothyroidism, levothyroxine tablets – and instead rely on liothyronine tablets to alleviate symptoms such as extreme fatigue and depression.

Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA, said:

“Advanz’s decision to rachet up the price of liothyronine tablets and impose excessive and unfair prices for over eight years came at a huge cost to the NHS, and ultimately to UK taxpayers. But that wasn’t all – it also meant that people dealing with depression and extreme fatigue, as a result of their thyroid conditions, were told they could not continue to receive the most effective treatment for them due its increased price.

“Advanz’s strategy exploited a loophole enabling it to reap much higher profits. This fine of over £100 million, and our work in the pharma sector to date, sends a clear message that breaking the law has serious consequences.”

As well as imposing substantial fines, the CMA’s decision makes it easier for the NHS to seek compensation for the firms’ behaviour, by way of damages, should it choose to do so.

The investigation into these firms is part of the CMA’s ongoing work in the pharmaceutical sector. Recent action includes securing an £8 million repayment to the NHS after companies took part in illegal arrangements relating to the supply of fludrocortisone, and fining firms £260 million for competition law breaches in relation to the supply of hydrocortisone tablets. A number of other CMA investigations are continuing.

For more information, visit the Liothyronine tablets case page.

Notes to Editors

1. The CMA has decided to impose financial penalties on Advanz Pharma Corp and three of its subsidiaries, as well as HgCapital and Cinven. Specifically, the CMA requires the parties to pay a total penalty of £101,442,899 in relation to the infringement which occurred between 2009 and 2017, with each of them being liable for the following amounts:
   1. Advanz Pharma Corp and three of its subsidiaries are liable for a penalty of £40,942,899;
   2. HgCapital is liable for a penalty of £8.6 million; and
   3. Cinven is liable for a penalty of £51.9 million.
2. The CMA is addressing the decision to Mercury Pharmaceuticals Limited, Advanz Pharma Services (UK) Limited, Mercury Pharma Group Limited and Advanz Pharma Corp. Limited, as well as to HgCapital LLP and to Cinven (Luxco 1) S.A., Cinven Capital Management (V) General Partner Limited and Cinven Partners LLP. 2.
3. Previous action taken by the CMA in relation to the pharma sector and fines imposed:
   1. Fludrocortisone (2019): £2.3 million in fines and £8 million redress to the NHS, issued to Aspen, Amilco and Tiofarma over market sharing. Read more here.
   2. Nortriptyline (2020): £3.4 million in fines and £1 million redress to the NHS, issued to Accord UK, King, Alissa and Lexon over illegal arrangements including market sharing and information exchange. Read more here.
   3. Hydrocortisone (2021): £260 million in fines, over excessive and unfair pricing and market sharing. Read more here.

4. In 2007, Advanz developed what it termed a ‘price optimisation’ strategy. This involved identifying genericised drugs with limited or no competition and high barriers to entry. By ‘de-branding’ these drugs, it could remove them from the price regulation regime which only applied to branded drugs, enabling it to set whatever prices it chose.

5. For media queries, please contact the press office on press@cma.gov.uk or on 020 3738 6460.

A truly global journey in support of the ‘Indo-Pacific Tilt’:

On 23rd of May 2021, the UK’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden operational deployment departed Portsmouth Naval Base at the beginning of a truly global journey. HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy Upon its return later in the year, the CSG will have sailed 26,000 nautical miles from the North Atlantic, to the Philippine sea and back, passing through the the Indo-Pacific region and engaging with more than 40 countries.

On 24th July, the British Embassy Bangkok welcomed HMS Richmond to Thailand. One of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s escort ships in the CSG, HMS Richmond took part of the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), in a Passing Exercise (PASSEX) with HTMS Kraburi of the Royal Thai Navy in the Andaman Sea. The visit to Thailand is evidence of the UK’s so called ‘Indo-Pacific tilt’ aimed at establishing a stronger presence and a deeper engagement with countries within the region.

Particularly for Thailand, our trade and investment relations is stronger than ever with the signing of a new joint trade dialogue – The Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) earlier in March. HMS Richmond’s visit demonstrates our commitment to ensuring a free and open Asia Pacific which is a foundation of closer bilateral trade between our two maritime trading nations.

The embodiment of maritime technological excellence:

HMS Richmond embodies the unique display of the state-of-the-art systems and operational capabilities of the British Defence Industry’s technologies, and showcase the frigate’s power, versatility, and capability to operate anywhere in the world.

A resemblance of the UK’s long and successful naval history can be observed throughout each component aboard HMS Richmond. For example, its state-of-the-art anti-submarine equipment (VDS Sonar 2087 commonly known as Captas-4) and the complete suite of Naval Communication Systems by Thales. The Thales Sonar 2087 provides a unique combination of active and low frequency passive sonar and gives the Royal Navy a unique advantage in detecting underwater threats at distance while maintaining stealth capabilities. Combined with the AW159 FLASH dipping sonar and Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) this provides a powerful system for the detection classification, location, tracking and attack of hostile submarines, and missile defence against air and sea borne threats.

The INTeACT Combat Management System on board is provided by BAE Systems to support warship crews with all the information they need to track, analyse and respond to threats in combat, as well as the ability to co-ordinate resources in other operations such as intelligence gathering and humanitarian assistance, both independently or as part of multinational coalitions. In addition, its BAE Systems Artisan 3D Surveillance Radar is capable of detecting objects as small as a tennis ball travelling at three times the speed of sound more than 25km away. Artisan can monitor more than 900 objects simultaneously from 200 to 200,000 metres and cut through radio interference equal to 10,000 mobile phone signals.

HMS Richmond’s hybrid propulsion system is powered by two Rolls-Royce Spey SM1C marine gas turbines and four MTU 12V 4000 M53 diesel generators in a CODAG (Combined Diesel Electric & Gas) propulsion arrangement. The on-board Wildcat Maritime Attack helicopter is the latest generation of multi-role helicopters powered by two LHTEC CTS800 turboshaft engines

On board the ship, The AW-159 Wildcat Helicopter is the latest-generation multi-mission, high-end war-fighting helicopter, delivering unparalleled tactical capability in a compact and robust air vehicle, manufactured by Leonardo UK. The helicopter has been designed from concept as a multi-role naval helicopter with excellent Ship-to-Air Interface characteristics and compact dimensions for small deck operations.

A longstanding history of Naval Engineering Experience in Thailand:

For at least of half a century, British naval technologies has been at the forefront of supporting the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) fleets.

“Thales’ partnership with the Royal Thai Armed Forces dates back over 50 years, and today we are proud to say that our systems and solutions equip 80% of the Royal Thai Navy’s fleet. Just two years ago, we successfully completed a full modernisation of the Bang Rachan minehunter vessels, helping enhance and extend the lifespan of their operational capabilities with solutions originating from Thales UK. The breadth of our technologies showcased onboard the HMS Richmond is a strong testament of Thales’ leading prowess in the naval domain, and I am optimistic that these solutions can similarly be implemented with great success onboard the RTN’s fleet.” said Massimo Marinzi, Country Director, Thales in Thailand.

Rolls-Royce has a growing presence in Thailand and across the defence industry. Looking to the future, Rolls-Royce in Thailand will continue to work closely with the Royal Thai Armed Forces, supply chain vendors and the local industries and communities to provide the power to protect. Through the development of innovative technologies and continuous provision of support for its customers’ fleets, Rolls-Royce continues to deliver the cleanest, safest and most competitive solutions for the planet’s vital power needs.

BAE Systems UK is proud to support the strong defence relationship and cooperation that exists between the UK and Thailand. This is shown by the Royal Thai Navy operating two BAE Systems designed 90m Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), based on the River Class OPVs currently operated by the Royal Thai Navy. The construction of the Royal Thai Navy OPVs in Thailand by The Bangkok Dock Company has made a major contribution to the growth of local naval engineering skills and capabilities, and in turn strengthened the Thai defence industry and wider Thai economy.

The longstanding history of British Naval Engineering is clearly going strong as we welcome the proximity of the Carrier Strike Group to Thailand as a symbol of our mutual commitment to a free and open Asia Pacific with all the benefits that affords to share regional and global security and prosperity.

Colonel Tony Stern, Defence Attaché, British Embassy Bangkok, said,

The recent successful exercise of HMS Richmond and HTMS Kraburi highlights the importance and strength of the UK’s long-standing defence and security relationship with Thailand. The Carrier Strike Group showcases the UK Defence Industry’s world-class capabilities, and the UK will continue to support closer and stronger collaboration with Thailand and other ASEAN nations on defence and security matters.

About the UK Defence and Security Exports: UK Defence and Security Exports is part of the Department for International Trade. We are responsible for:

• Helping UK defence and security industries to export their capabilities by offering specialist support and market intelligence.
• Maintaining relationships with overseas governments to promote British defence and security products.
• Working with MOD and industry to ensure defence and security products have export potential and contribute towards the UK’s prosperity agenda.

An overwhelming majority of eligible secondary schools in England have signed up to host a summer school over the holidays, offering a mixture of academic and extra-curricular activities to boost catch up for children.

New figures show 2,820 secondary schools have signed up to participate, which is equivalent to three quarters (74%) of those eligible, and the scheme has been backed by over £200 million investment from the Department for Education.

More than 500,000 students are expected to benefit from high quality, face-to-face learning over the summer holiday period, helping pupils catch up on pivotal education lost through the pandemic.

The summer school programme is helping schools deliver a range of academic and enrichment activities, providing pupils not only with vital maths and English lessons, but also skills to build confidence, friendships and improve wellbeing.

The summer schools programme is part of the government’s ambitious, and long-term education recovery plan which includes an investment to date of over £3 billion and a significant expansion of our tutoring programme, to support children and young people to make up for learning lost during the pandemic.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

It’s very good to see so many children will now have the opportunity to enjoy clubs and activities this summer, building friendships and supporting their mental and physical health, alongside their educational progress.

We have invested £3 billion so far in helping children catch up ahead of the next academic year and summer schools are an integral part of the overall effort to recover from the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Schools have the freedom to target their summer school programme at children most in need of catch up. This includes targeting children with special needs, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those entitled to free school meals. Special schools and alternative provision schools have been funded at a higher rate to reflect the needs of children.

Wellbeing activities planned by schools include theatre trips, sports sessions, team games, sit down sessions with authors, cooking and more.

Incoming Year 7 students will predominantly be encouraged to get involved, to help them navigate the important transition between primary and secondary school.