It’s just been announced that Stuart Garner, who was found guilty last month of illegally investing £11 million worth of his employees pensions into Norton Motorcycles, has been sentenced… well, if you can call it a sentencing. Just this morning (Thursday 31 March 2022), the 53-year-old appeared before Derby Crown Court and was handed three 12-month sentences, reduced to eight months, but then suspended for two years. So he’s probably not going to go to prison at all.
He’s also been forced to pay £20,716.69 in costs which, despite being declared bankrupt on 26 May 2021, I can’t see him genuinely having a problem paying.
You can read more about Garner-gate here, but in a nutshell, his criminal offence was investing more than 5% of the value of, what was essentially, his employees money, back into the business. And all of that, whilst taking deposits from customers for bikes that he probably knew weren’t ever going to get built.
White collar crime?
Sometimes certain white collar crimes are almost victimless. Garner’s weren’t. As well as leaving his employees without the pension that they’d been paying into for years, and relying on to retire, he left them with untold stress and worry. He sold countless V4SSs to customers for £44,000 that, according to Norton’s new owners, are barely road worthy. And he as good as ran Norton Motorcycles totally and utterly into the ground. I don’t think any of his crimes are forgivable, and I’m sure the victims feel the same way.
Yes, Stuart Garner has been found guilty and yes he’s been sentenced. But an eight month, suspended sentence? Come on, pull the other one. That’s not really a sentence is it? That’s a “Behave yourself for the next few months, and we’ll forget about this whole thing”.
I know he’ll have a criminal record, and he’s not allowed to be a company director any more, but that seems like a small price to pay for effectively stealing £11,000,000.
Who said crime doesn’t pay?
An utter cnut with bells on, and now laughing his tits off somewhere warm and sunny.
I’ve no doubt he managed to stash away enough of other peoples money to live fairly comfortably until he blags his way into the next scam at others expense.
It would be terrible if a bunch of folk that had been ripped off by him all put some cash together to find out whereabouts he is and paid him a visit to express how disappointed they were in him.
That would be terrible.
He was never gonna go
To prison as too many of Britain’s
Top brass were feeding at the same troff as garner and In it up to their eyeballs also.
Him and Prince Andrew would have made great cell buddies…
Let’s hope that sack of shite judge gets that phone call from Gerad Butler. Should be struck off and servicing a sentence herself. Corruption right to the top.
I believe he was only banned from being a company director for 3 years, not forever. Stay tuned for more of the same in the near future.
This sentence needs to be reviewed as it is incredibly light given the criminality involved!
I read recently of a man sentenced to 1 year in jail for lying on his cv to get a pilots job. I assume there are 2 pilots per flight. I understand the risks particularly to passengers if someone gets such a job if unqualified.
My question is how someone can steal millions from people and get away with it.
This is not the first time pensions have been raided by employers with seeming impunity.
If an employee of this individual had stolen a fraction of this amount they would have undoubtedly been given a custodial sentence.
The message that I take from this is a thief can steal from a number of employees or investors with relative impunity but don’t go and steal from big business.
It’s a fucking disgrace,you can steal working people’s money without worrying about the consequences. Try stealing 100 quid of some rich bastard
you get 10 years.
It’s a well written article, the way white collar crime is sentenced here is deeply depressing, whilst I’m no grand fan of prison and feel being being out on restricted license actually helps rehabilitation… there should be a civil case against him and asset tracing against interests he’s had or transferred to loved ones. In America they are far harsher with financial fraudsters and whilst I don’t want to see their version of justice I would like to see a better way to help those ripped off by employers.
He’ll be more than alright on his safari park in Sooth Africa, people like that always get away with. Can’t see him getting a visa for anywhere interesting though or keeping up with his mrs.
Should have got 5 years inside
Christ alive…
Typical “the victim get’s punished more than the murderer” justice system we have in the west. Utter hopeless.
This isn’t the first instance what about Philip Green who still has his knighthood after screwing staff out of their pensions
Fair point – I am surprised Garner’s name hasn’t been added to the New Year Honours List!