NEWS STORY : Romford Joiner Receives Suspended Sentence for Misuse of COVID Bounce Back Loan
STORY
Charles Ling, a 57-year-old joiner from Romford, has been handed a 15-month suspended sentence after fraudulently obtaining a second COVID Bounce Back Loan and using part of the funds for personal expenses. Ling, residing at North Road, Havering-atte-Bower, had previously secured a legitimate £20,000 loan in May 2020 for his business, Bradcon (Bespoke) Joinery Ltd.
In June 2020, Ling applied for an additional £30,000 loan, falsely declaring it as his first application and asserting that the funds would be used solely for business purposes. Subsequent investigations by the Insolvency Service revealed that he withdrew £9,000 in cash and allocated £2,500 towards a mortgage payment shortly after receiving the funds, with none of this £11,500 benefiting his business operations.
On April 2, 2025, Ling was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court to 15 months in custody, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. He has since repaid the £30,000 loan following the initiation of prosecution proceedings.
David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, commented:
“Charles Ling stated that this was his first COVID Bounce Back Loan, and that it would be spent wholly on his joinery business, but this was not the case. These loans were designed to help support businesses through the pandemic, not for personal use at the expense of the public purse. We are committed to investigating these cases and bringing those responsible to justice.”
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme was introduced to provide financial support to businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, offering loans up to £50,000 to be repaid over six to ten years. Misuse of these funds undermines the scheme’s intent and depletes resources meant for struggling businesses.
