Christopher Browne of Scarborough was given an order by York Crown Court on Tuesday, July 5 requiring him to pay a £164,000 Confiscation Order within three months or face an 18-month prison term as a result of a Proceeds of Crime action.
The sum represents the realisable proceeds from the sale of his Scarborough home, which is currently restrained under the Proceeds of Crime Act. He was also given a £200 fine and a £20 victim surcharge by the court.
Browne was found guilty on February 9, 2021, at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court of acting as an unauthorized company director of Coastal Security Ltd., which has its headquarters in Scarborough. Browne was sentenced on February 16, 2021.
The Security Industry Authority brought the case to court (SIA).
Browne was authorized to work as a security guard by the SIA until February 15, 2016. After his license ran out, he refused to apply for a new security guard license despite the SIA’s continuous efforts to assist him in participating in the licensing procedure.
Between 15 February 2016 and 21 August 2020, he continued to serve as an unauthorized director of a business that provided security for more than four and a half years.
He responded to a request for information on August 20, 2020, during a caution-assisted interview in which he gave a full and honest account and acknowledged that he had intentionally served as a director of a business that provided services to the private security industry without a valid SIA license.
From December 2000, Browne served as a director for 21 years at Scarborough’s Coastal Security Ltd.
The company provided security guards, CCTV, and other equipment, but during the past two months, it has been forced into liquidation.
The seriousness of Browne’s failures to cooperate with the SIA and get a license is reflected in the court order, according to Jenny Hart, one of the SIA’s Criminal Investigation Managers.
We made every effort to communicate with Mr. Browne, but he didn’t submit an application or renew his operating license.
He was careless and endangered the public by refusing to obtain a license.
His non-compliance has made the problem worse when it could have been.
The licensing system used by the SIA is there to safeguard the general population.
He has received a hefty court order as a result of four years of greed. He has suffered a great loss as a result of the following liquidation of his business.