Help stop young people in Scotland being exploited by criminal gangs.
County Line gangs are using violence and intimidation to recruit young people into drug networks.
Know the signs of exploitation:
• Change in behaviour
• Signs of assault and/or malnutrition
• Access to numerous phones
• Use of unusual terms e.g. ‘going country’
• Associating with gangs
• Unexplained bus or train tickets
• School truancy or going missing
• Unexplained gifts e.g. clothing, trainers, cash
Workers across the UK are being “cheated” out £2 billion worth of holiday pay, according to a new report published to mark the beginning of the TUC’s 146th annual Congress today (Sunday).
UK workers are legally entitled to 28 days paid leave for a typical five-day week, with pro-rata entitlement for those who work fewer than five days.
But research by the union body shows that 1.1 million employees (1 in 25 employees) did not get a single one of the 28 days’ paid holiday, or equivalent, they were entitled to last year.
TUC analysis shows these missing weeks add up to £2 billion in lost holiday pay – or on average £1,800 per affected employee.
BME workers and low-paid hardest hit
The research shows that Black and minority ethnic (BME) staff were hardest hit – 6% of BME employees did not get any paid holiday last year, compared to 4% of white employees.
And low-paid workers were most at risk of losing their paid holiday entitlement. The jobs with the highest numbers of staff losing out were waiters and waitresses (59,000), care workers and home carers (55,000), and kitchen and catering assistants (50,000).
Millions missing out on key employment rights
In addition to holiday pay, the union body says millions of workers are missing out on many other basic employment rights due to a lack of enforcement.
Recent analysis from the government’s Low Pay Commission found that 365,000 workers are underpaid the minimum wage – more than one in five of all workers on the wage floor.
And the Resolution Foundation also found hundreds of thousands of workers have been shut out of basic rights like access to their payslip (1.8 million) so can’t check if they are being paid correctly, and auto-enrolment into a pension scheme (600,000).
The TUC says the main reasons people are missing out on paid holiday are:
Five-point plan on enforcement
To address this enforcement crisis, the TUC is today (Sunday) launching its five-point plan for effective enforcement of employment rights in the UK.
The union body says that workers are currently losing out on wages and other key entitlements, while decent employers are undercut by those that don’t meet their legal duties.
The TUC report supports the new Labour government’s pledge to introduce a Fair Work Agency bringing together several existing state enforcement bodies. It calls on ministers to:
The Fair Work Agency
As part of the Employment Rights Bill, Labour has pledged to create a new Fair Work Agency – a single enforcement body with power to crack down on bad employment practices, uphold rights at work and level the playing field for good employers who follow the rules.
It will help bolster the work of unions to ensure people are treated fairly at work.
TUC polling of more than 3,000 voters – conducted by Opinium on the day after the election – showed large-scale backing across the political spectrum for Labour’s Fair Work Agency.
More than six in 10 (61%) voters support introducing a single enforcement body to make sure that workers’ rights are properly enforced – with less than one in 10 (8%) against.
And the polling showed clear support for the agency across the political spectrum.
Conservative voters support the policy by a margin of around three (50%) to one (17%), and there is even more support for the Fair Work Agency amongst Reform voters (53% to 13%).
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “We all deserve a break from work to spend time off with our friends and family.
“But more than a million working people have been deprived of any of the paid leave they are due. And hundreds of thousands more have been denied basic rights like being paid the minimum wage.
“The Conservative government sat back and let bad employers cheat their staff out of their basic workplace rights.
“Tory ministers were more concerned about stopping people getting what they were due by introducing anti-union measures, than funding enforcement bodies properly.”
On the need for the new government’s Employment Bill and Fair Work Agency, Paul Nowak said: “Now it’s time to reset the dial and to end the Tories’ race to the bottom.
“This week at Congress we will be debating how we can drive up standards at work. These shocking findings show why we need the Employment Rights Bill and the Fair Work Agency.
“Working people deserve to be treated fairly and have a minimum floor of rights upheld.
“And there is huge support from the public – right across the political spectrum – for this.”
On the need for a level playing field, Paul Nowak added: “Good employers have nothing to fear as they’re already playing by the rules. Now it’s time to level the playing field.
“Labour’s Fair Work Agency must have real teeth and hold rogue employers who think they are above the law to account.”
Five-point plan:
The TUC’s five-point plan is available at:
https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-09/makingemploymentrightswork.pdf
Reports of online child sexual abuse and exploitation in Scotland have increased by 21 per cent, according to new data from Police Scotland.
Between 1 April, 2023 and 31 March, 2024, 2,055 cyber-enabled sexual crimes against children were recorded, an increase of 364 on the previous year. Three offence types accounted for two thirds of this total:
The scale of online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE) was highlighted in a recent study by University of Edinburgh’s Childlight initiative. It estimated that 300 million children a year worldwide were victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation.
And the National Crime Agency estimates that 1.3% – 1.6% of adults in the UK pose varying degrees of risk to children.
The scale of the threat is a recognised national risk.
Police Scotland yesterday (1 July) launched its latest #GethelpOrGetCaught campaign to prevent OCSAE, targeting individuals who may already have offended or be at risk of offending.
It signposts them to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation Scotland’s Stop It Now service which offers advice and support to prevent offending.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sam Faulds, head of Public Protection for Police Scotland, which leads on child protection, said: “More of us live our lives online and that is particularly true for children and young people. Cyber-enabled crime is on the rise, and increasingly our investigations are focused online identifying offenders and bringing them to justice.
“During the school summer holidays, many more children will be at home and online.
“We want to reduce risk, to stop young people becoming victims of online child abuse and exploitation.
“Many of our key partners provide advice to young people and their parents about keeping safe online.
“Our role is to target offenders.
“Our prevention campaigns offer them a way to stop, a route out before they offend, before a child becomes their victim, before other lives are damaged.
“We want to prevent children becoming victims of online predators and we will use all means at our disposal to identify offenders.
“Think about it – it might not be a child you are grooming or speaking to online. It might be the police. Take your chance to Get Help or you will Get Caught.”
Stuart Allardyce, director of Lucy Faithfull Foundation Scotland, said: “We have worked with hundreds of individuals who have either been arrested for online offences against children or are concerned about their thoughts or behaviours towards children.
“Through our work, we understand how difficult it is to reach out for help. We also know that those who engage in these behaviours often need support with their mental health and compulsive behaviours, feeling trapped in a cycle of harmful actions.
“The reasons for viewing sexual images of children or online grooming are complex, and many individuals recognise that what they are doing is wrong. Seeking individualised, anonymous, and non-judgmental support is absolutely the right step to take. This can help individuals stop viewing illegal images or engaging in illegal conversations online.
“By making the right choice and getting the support you need, you can move on from offending or potential criminal behaviour and help protect and keep children safe.”
The Police Scotland campaign will run for six weeks across various social media platforms including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and Spotify.
Last month, 61-year-old Ian Heddle, was convicted of the serious sexual assault of a child and possession of indecent images of children. Heddle was arrested and charged in Scotland in connection with possessing indecent images of children.
Following enquiries, it was established he had also sexually assaulted a young girl in Thailand. He was subsequently arrested and charged for this offence. The arrest was made under legislation which protects children anywhere in the world from sexual abuse by British nationals.
Earlier this year, serial predator, Benjamin Young, 42, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and has been given an Order of Lifelong Restriction (OLR). Young created and shared images and videos of the sexual abuse of children.
He was identified and investigated by the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit working with international law enforcement partners.
The majority of perpetrators of online sexual abuse are male (90%). Most victims are female (54%).
Rani Govender, NSPCC Regulatory Policy Manager, said: “Online sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on children and young people. This abuse can be prevented, but tech firms have not done enough to build platforms which are safe by design for children.
“These figures demonstrate the increasing scale of the problem in Scotland. We need strong implementation of the Online Safety Act by Ofcom to protect children and young people. It is vital that platforms are held accountable for tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
“Tech firms need to use best practice approaches to prevent, detect and disrupt abuse, including in private messaging.
“It is important that tech companies do not delay action any longer and that they make children and young people’s safety a priority.”
Police Scotland’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls was presented to the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee yesterday (Monday 17 April).
The strategy is subject to final discussion by the full SPA Board next week.
Based on wide-ranging and unprecedented engagement with the general public, women and girls, survivors of violence, key partners, academics and experts, the strategy builds on the Service’s commitment to improve and future-proof its response.
Proposals within the strategy include:
Launching the strategy, Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors, Police Scotland, said: “We are committed to creating a society where women and girls live free from violence, abuse, exploitation and harassment.
“Women, girls, and men, have shared their experiences, their thoughts and their views on how we can tackle violence, create a service that is responsive to victims and how we prevent violence against women and girls.
“We have listened and their voices and experiences thread through our strategy.
“They have informed and influenced our approach, our commitment to act and to improve how we tackle the sexual violence and domestic abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls.
“We will work with our partners across criminal justice, and support services, to improve the opportunities and support for women to report.
“It is up to us to improve how we respond at that first point of contact. To be compassionate, to listen, to signpost to help, and to ensure women are kept informed from the moment they report.
“We are committed to continually improving the service we provide, to build confidence in reporting and in policing more widely. Our service must be trauma-informed, we will prioritise the needs of victims and survivors.
“As an organisation we are not immune from the sexism and misogyny that is at the root of this violence. Our strategy recognises the work that needs to be done internally.
“Our role is crucial, but policing alone cannot stop violence against women and girls. Our strategy outlines the actions we will take as a service, together with our partners.
“We will continue to engage, to work with our partners, to improve our response and to drive the change needed to end violence against women and girls.”
Evil grooming gangs who target children and young women will be stamped out under new plans unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today (Monday 3rd April).
A new Grooming Gangs Taskforce will see specialist officers parachuted in to assist police forces with live child sexual exploitation and grooming investigations to bring more of these despicable criminals to justice.
Led by the police and supported by the National Crime Agency, the taskforce will be made up of officers with extensive experience of undertaking grooming gang investigations. They will provide crucial support to forces across the country to root out grooming gangs and put more perpetrators behind bars.
Data analysts will work alongside the taskforce using cutting edge data and intelligence to identify the types of criminals who carry out these offences, helping police forces across the country catch offenders who might otherwise be missed. This will also include police recorded ethnicity data to make sure suspects cannot evade justice because of cultural sensitivities.
This will include better data on the make-up of grooming gangs, including ethnicity, to make sure suspects cannot hide behind cultural sensitivities as a way to evade justice.
The Prime Minister will launch the taskforce later today. To mark this, he will be in Leeds and Greater Manchester to meet survivors, local police partners and members of the new taskforce.
Speaking ahead of this, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The safety of women and girls is paramount. For too long, political correctness has stopped us from weeding out vile criminals who prey on children and young women. We will stop at nothing to stamp out these dangerous gangs.”
Alongside the new taskforce, the Prime Minister has pledged to make sure grooming gang members and their ring leaders receive the toughest possible sentences.
Legislation will be introduced to make being the leader of or involved in a grooming gang a statutory aggravating factor during sentencing. This reflects the Government’s unwavering commitment to make sure these offenders face the toughest sentences for their crimes and the longest time behind bars.
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab, said: “Grooming gangs are a scourge on our society and I want to send a clear message to anyone who exploits vulnerable children that they will face the full weight of the law.
“This builds on the extensive action this Government has already taken to introduce tougher sentencing, and the reforms introduced last week in the Victims and Prisoners Bill to keep the most dangerous offenders behind bars, while making sure victims get the support they need at all times.”
Today’s announcement follows on from the Home Secretary’s commitment to bring in mandatory reporting for adults working with children if they suspect or identify that child is being abused. By ensuring people speak out if they have concerns, authorities can stop the abuse, put perpetrators behind bars and get victims the support they need much sooner.
Mandatory Reporting was one the key recommendations in the important Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which gave a voice to thousands of courageous survivors. Today’s announcement shows how seriously the Government is taking the Inquiry’s recommendations.
Speaking in response to the Government’s announcement on mandatory reporting, Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and Author, Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham, said: “The Prime Minister’s statement today places a renewed focus on tackling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children by organised networks.
“I welcome these announcements, some of which reflect the recommendations of the Inquiry’s own report on child sexual exploitation in 2022. The commitment to Mandatory Reporting is very encouraging, and I look forward to working with the Government to ensure that the full package of the Inquiry’s recommendations in its Final Report is taken forward to better protect children from sexual abuse in the future.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “Child sexual abuse is one of the most horrific crimes facing our society, it devastates victims, families and whole communities.
“The protection of children is a collective effort. Every adult must be supported to call out child sexual abuse without fear.
“And the despicable abusers must be brought to justice. They should not be able to hide. And they must face the full force of the law for their crimes.
“That’s why I’m introducing a mandatory reporting duty and launching a call for evidence. We must address the failures identified by the Inquiry and take on board the views of the thousands of victims and survivors who contributed to its findings.
“I would encourage everyone to engage with the process once it starts – it is important to have a national conversation about this to shine a light on this terrible – but too often hidden – crime.”
Alongside the mandatory reporting duty, we are bolstering support for the NSPCC’s whistleblowing helpline, as well as their public helpline, giving professionals and members of the public a voice to raise concerns about children, or about child grooming in their community.
Stop It Now! Scotland and the NSPCC are calling on the Scottish Government to develop a national strategy to tackle child sexual abuse that focuses on prevention to make the country a safer place to grow up.
The two charities, which are today hosting an event in partnership with the Scottish Parliament, say working together to stop the abuse from happening in the first place will prevent the devastating impact it has on the mental health of children and adult survivors.
They are urging the Scottish Government to develop a comprehensive and coordinated national approachto prevent child sexual abuse, which involves health, police, education, community safety, children’s services, social services, housing and the wider community. The child protection charities say it is vital that everyone understands what child sexual abuse is and knows how they can be part of preventing it.
A review of UK data revealed that 15 per cent of females and 5 per cent of males will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 16. This means at least 80,000 children in Scotland will have been affected by this issue before they leave high school. Although this is thought to be an under-representation of the scale of the problem and the actual number of children who have experienced sexual abuse in Scotland is not known.
The charities say that to understand the numbers of children in Scotland affected and the scale of the suffering it is crucial that a prevalence survey is conducted. At the event, leading experts will discuss current evidence on preventing child sexual abuse and explore the next steps needed to make Scotland the safest country for children to grow up.
Joanne Smith, NSPCC Scotland’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager, said: “Child sexual abuse has a devastating impact on people’s lives.
“The response, to date, has focused largely on bringing perpetrators to justice and providing some children with therapy and support. But we believe that as a society our focus should be on preventing child sexual abuse before it occurs, before people at risk of abusing become offenders, and before potential victims become actual victims. Understanding child sexual abuse, and what causes it, is a vital step towards developing effective prevention strategies.”
Stuart Allardyce, Director, Lucy Faithfull Foundation / Stop It Now! Scotland, said: “We are calling on the Scottish Government to carry out a dedicated prevalence survey to identify the levels of sexual offending against children in Scotland, alongside a national strategy for tackling child sexual abuse.
“We know that sexual abuse has an enormous impact on the mental health outcomes for children and adult survivors and the economic costs for the criminal justice system.
“We believe sexual harm towards children and young people could be reduced if we focused more on prevention, including therapy being offered to adults who are worried about their sexual thoughts and feelings towards children.”
Childlight, based at the University of Edinburgh, also launches the first comprehensive global data repository today, which will look at all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), with the aim of being able to show the scale and nature of this abuse.
The international team, made up of experienced individuals from academia, the private sector, law enforcement and non-governmental organisations, will produce an annual report, global dashboard and index with the data that can be used by tech companies, law enforcement agencies and those who work in child protection so they can take action to prevent CSEA.
Speakers at the online event will include:
Children and young people can contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice 24 hours a day online at www.childline.org.uk or on the phone on 0800 1111.
Anyone with concerns about a child’s wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline on help@nspcc.org.uk. The NSPCC practitioners provide free and confidential help and advice and can take appropriate steps to help keep children safe. If a child is in immediate danger, please call 999.
Zara. H&M. Lidl. Tesco. All high-street retailers who have supposedly been engaging in unethical practices when purchasing from garment factories in Bangladesh. Whilst consumers in the UK often buy items at these popular chains, unfortunately a story of inequality, exploitation and unfair practices lurks behind many purchases (writes FOYSOL CHOUDHURY).
Research undertaken at the University of Aberdeen surveyed 1,000 factories in Bangladesh and their findings were shocking.
The cost of materials and production has soared globally. Yet, the research showed that the price we pay to producers in Bangladesh has apparently stayed the same as before the pandemic, two years ago, meaning that garment factories are facing a real term cut. As a result, many factories selling to large, global retailers such as H&M and Zara were supposedly paid below the cost of production for their garments.
Unethical practice was also evident, with the research concluding that between March 2020 and December 2021, 90% of high street brands were found to be engaging in unethical practices such as cancelling orders and delayed or failed payments.
Many retailers involved have denied claims. However, if the factories are not being paid enough for their production, unfortunately the workers at these factories may not be being paid enough either.
Rightly, we fight for the rights of our workers at home. However, it would sadly seem that we neglect the rights of workers globally who are responsible for producing the clothes and items we use regularly.
Twelve of the brands listed in the report were apparently members of the Ethical Trading Initiative, aiming to promote workers’ rights. This, whilst undertaking business practices which could quash fair pay for workers in Bangladesh.
We cannot preach about paying workers fair wages globally whilst perpetuating a system of financial exploitation which, unfortunately, ensures that businesses often don’t have the funds to pay their workers a fair wage.
We cannot continue to give with one hand and take with the other when it comes to the visage of fair play versus our unethical trading practices.
We cannot continue to operate on an ‘out of sight out of mind’ basis. Instead, we need to recognise that these practices are, in part, being propped up by the UK’s global unethical business practice. We need to shift our priorities and act to ensure that all workers involved in our production chains, around the world, have access to workers’ rights.
I urge governments to ensure that our importers pay the correct costs and make the process ethical. We must not profit at the cost of others around the globe facing exploitation and unfair wages; this immoral trading must stop.
The University of Aberdeen ‘‘Impact of Global Clothing Retailers’ Unfair Practices on Bangladeshi Suppliers During Covid-19”:
Companies like TUI Musement, GetYourGuide, Trip.com, AttractionTickets.com and Jet2holidays are STILL, exploiting wildlife for profit despite 84%1 of UK citizens who believe that tour operators should not sell activities that cause wild animals suffering, according to a report by World Animal Protection.
Elephant riding, selfies with tiger cubs and swimming with dolphins were some of the cruel wildlife activities on offer by these travel brands, according to the Real Responsible Traveller report.
The study reviewed 9 leading travel companies on their commitment to animal welfare and wildlife friendly tourism with the aim to help holiday makers plan a wildlife friendly holiday.
Thousands of wild animals every year are forced to perform for tourist entertainment or be subjects for tourist “experiences” that are incredibly unnatural and stressful for them.
For example, elephants in entertainment are captured in the wild or born into captivity and taken from their mothers at an early age. They are then subjected to violent training regimes causing huge physical and psychological harm.
Dolphins used for entertainment are mostly bred in captivity, (although some are still captured from the wild) and kept in barren tanks a tiny fraction of their natural home range which creates huge distress for these wonderful animals.
Travelling responsibly means never including captive wildlife entertainment or experiences on your itinerary and refusing to book your holiday with travel companies which may claim to offer responsible, sustainable travel, while continuing to profit from wild animal exploitation.
The report also shows the travel companies who have made significant, positive steps for wildlife over recent years including Airbnb, and Booking.com. Expedia has improved in some areas, having stopped selling captive dolphin entertainment in 2021.
Katheryn Wise, World Animal Protection, Wildlife Campaign Manager, said: “Holiday makers have made it clear; they don’t want tour operators selling animal suffering, but the reality is, suffering is still being sold under the guise of entertainment.
“Who you book your holiday with matters. TUI Musement, Jet2holidays, GetYourGuide Trip.com and Attraction Tickets.com are STILL exploiting captive wild animals.
“World Animal Protection is urging responsible travellers to join us in challenging these companies to do better for animals. Real responsible travellers have the power to act and create lasting change for wild animals by refusing to support companies that still treat wild animals as commodities who they can exploit for profit.
“For more information on how you can make a difference visit our Real Responsible Travel Page at www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk/real-responsible-traveller.
“We are also urging the UK government to take action by passing the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill, which sees its second parliamentary reading take place on February 3rd. This important bill intends to stop the sale and advertising of activities abroad which involve low standards of welfare for animals.”
The Real Responsible Traveller report builds on World Animal Protection’s 2020 Tracking the Travel Industry report, which assessed Airbnb, AttractionTickets.com, Booking.com, DER Touristik, Expedia, Flight Centre, GetYourGuide, Klook, The Travel Corporation, Viator, Trip.com and TUI Musement.
World Animal Protection commissioned the University of Surrey who independently analysed the public commitments travel companies have, and haven’t, made.
Companies were scored across four key areas:
World Animal Protection then checked to see if they offered any of the five “animal attractions”:
For more information about industry best practices and how holidaymakers can make their concerns known to the travel companies click here.
After months of trying to secure a meeting with the Safeguarding Minister, delayed due to changes in Ministers and turmoil in the heart of Government, Hourglass is frustrated that the Home Office has now cancelled another scheduled meeting with Minister Sarah Dines for Wednesday 14 December.
The meeting has been cancelled due to the Home Office launching a commercial competition for funding as part of Violence Against Women and Girls VAWG) strategy. Hourglass (Safer Ageing) is the only specialist UK wide charity supporting older victim-survivors of abuse, with 40% of the casework being with older men.
Hourglass, the only UK-wide charity focused on ending the abuse and neglect of older people, believes there needs to be a separate strategy and funding pool to address abuse of older people, as they have specific needs that a different to other demographics.
Hourglass has seen a 96% increase in calls to its 24/7 helpline this year. It is unacceptable that every request made by the charity to meet with Ministers has fallen on deaf ears when older people are suffering.
On 29 July this year, the Ready for Rishi Campaign made the following commitment to Hourglass: “If he is fortunate enough to be elected as Prime Minister, a Rishi-led government would seek to engage with organisations supporting victims, such as Hourglass, in order to ensure that no one is left behind and the needs of all those who need help are met.”
The Prime Minister now needs to honour his campaign pledge and ensure his Ministers meet with Hourglass to tackle abuse of older people.
Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass, said: “With Safer Ageing Week looming, it is incredibly sad that the charity has had this vital meeting cancelled once again. This is not just disappointing; it is a dereliction of duty.
“We are seeing significant increases in calls to our helpline and casework referrals, yet the government still do not take this issue seriously.
“The Violence Against Women and Girls strategy is designed to address this important issue. The criteria for VAWG funding applications will obviously be based on addressing violence against women and girls, not abuse of older people which needs a separate strategy and funding model.
“Support to stem sexual violence in the Ukraine was this week confirmed at £3.45 million with an additional £12.5 million to tackle sexual violence in conflict globally. These, like the equally essential child abuse and domestic abuse charities deserve this support, we are simply asking why are older people last in line? The £300k committed to date seems to underline how far towards the bottom of the list of priorities the 2.7m people affected by elder abuse seem to be.”
The charity confirms it will apply for Government funding from their newly announced VAWG grant scheme.
However, with the enormous pressures of the cost of living crisis and a huge spike in calls to the Hourglass 24/7 helpline, the organisation believes it needs to be at the heart of a Safer Ageing Strategy for older people.
The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to make a donation by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.
Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.
Monica Coyle, 51, from Kilmarnock has been disqualified as a director for 10 years after fraudulently claiming a £30,000 government Bounce Back Loan (BBL).
Coyle, a former NHS nurse, was director of Positive Pulse Limited, a health and wellbeing company which provided health checks to employees of businesses. She had also been president of business and professional women’s group Ayrshire Business Women in 2019.
Coyle applied for the Bounce Back Loan in May 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic impacted her business.
She falsely declared turnover of £130,000 in her application, rather than the actual turnover of her business, which was less than £5,000.
As a result, Coyle received a BBL of £30,000, of which she spent over £26,000 on personal use.
Bounce Back Loans were earmarked for small to medium sized companies impacted by Covid-19, and the loans were designed to support the company, rather than for the director’s own gain.
Positive Pulse Limited went into Creditors Voluntary Liquidation in February 2022, owing £30,000 to the bank, in respect of the BBL.
The Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Monica Coyle, after she did not dispute that she caused the company to apply for, and receive, a BBL of £30,000 which the company was not entitled to, following which she received personal gain.
Her ban is effective from 16 September 2022 and will last for 10 years.
The disqualification undertaking prevents Monica Coyle from directly, or indirectly, becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.
Investigation Manager Steven McGinty said: ‘Bounce Back Loans were made for the economic benefit of the company, not for directors’ personal gain.
‘Monica Coyle exploited the scheme and took taxpayers’ money during the pandemic which she knew she was not entitled to.’
