A convicted fraudster who defrauded a pension scheme of £292,000 has today been ordered to repay the money. Roger William Bessent, 67, of Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, had stolen savers’ cash from the Focusplay Retirement Benefit Scheme (FRBS) and transferred it into businesses he part-owned and which were run by his family and a client. |
Bessent, who had acted as a trustee and administrator for FRBS, was sentenced in March 2019 to more than three years in jail, following a prosecution by The Pensions Regulator (TPR). At a confiscation hearing at Preston Crown Court brought by TPR, Judge Heather Lloyd ordered Bessent to pay a total of £274,733. Of this amount, £233,317.90 will be returned directly to the FRBS as part of a Compensation Order, which accounts for the difference between the sum stolen and the amount he has previously repaid. Bessent will have to repay the amount in full within three months. If he fails to do so, he will serve an additional 30-month term, and would still be liable to pay back the money, with interest. He was also ordered to hand over all the cash currently in his bank accounts, £9861, within seven days. Erica Carroll, TPR’s Director of Enforcement, said: “Bessent held a position of trust which he abused for his own gain – stealing money meant for hardworking scheme members’ retirements. “The result shows TPR is determined that criminals such as Bessent are not only punished for their crimes but also do not benefit financially from their crimes. The money he stole will now be returned for the benefit of the scheme members he took it from.
“And, if he doesn’t pay up in three months, he faces extra jail time and will still have to return the money.” |
|
|
|
Pensions Data Science Actuary | ||
Offices UK wide, hybrid working - Negotiable |
Head of Pricing | ||
London - Negotiable |
Global Specialty Pricing Actuary | ||
London - £95,000 Per Annum |
Client-facing DC investment manager | ||
London / hybrid 3 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Financial Risk Leader - Bermuda | ||
Bermuda - Negotiable |
Aylesbury Actuaries | ||
Aylesbury / hybrid 3dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Make an impact in protection pricing ... | ||
London / hybrid 2 days p/w office-based - Negotiable |
BPA Implementation Manager | ||
North / hybrid 50/50 - Negotiable |
Head of Reserving | ||
London - £160,000 Per Annum |
In-force Longevity Actuarial Analyst | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Make a difference within reinsurance ... | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Be at the cutting-edge of life & heal... | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Longevity Pricing Analyst | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Develop your career in life reinsuran... | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Protection Pricing Actuary - Life Rei... | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Life (Re)insurance Pricing Manager (P... | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Take the lead: life & health reinsura... | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Pricing Tools and Systems Developer | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Longevity Pricing Actuary | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Shape the future of longevity | ||
London / hybrid 2 dpw office-based - Negotiable |
Be the first to contribute to our definitive actuarial reference forum. Built by actuaries for actuaries.