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CLAIMS ABOUT TAXI BOSS LEAD TO JAIL THREAT
A well-known Plymouth businessman has been given a suspended six-week jail sentence for contempt of court after making allegations about taxi mogul John Preece.
Bespoke tailor John Kingdom told people that Mr Preece was about to be sent to prison for money laundering and tax evasion. He also claimed to be setting up a rival taxi firm that would drive Mr Preece out of business.
Mr Preece claims the allegations damaged a business deal between his Taxibank Ltd firm and event management agency Expotel, causing a three-month delay in the opening of a Plymouth call centre.
Mr Kingdom was committed to prison on two concurrent sentences of six weeks and four weeks, suspended for six months, at the High Court in Bristol last month.
His Honour Judge Patrick McCahill QC made the order after hearing how Mr Kingdom broke undertakings he had given the court in April. The undertakings stemmed from a civil action brought against Mr Kingdom and others by Mr Preece, Taxifast chairman, and Taxibank managing director Simon Hirst.
The pair, and the companies Key Cabs Ltd, which trades as Taxifast, and Taxibank Ltd, are suing Mr Kingdom, owner of Stitches Tailoring in St Judes, private eye Phil Manning, and former Taxifast employee Dean Ruffles for, it is alleged, conspiring to interfere with a business contract.
They are seeking £1.3million in damages.
It is claimed that allegations of financial impropriety and instability were made against the claimants. The case will be heard before a jury at the High Court in Bristol.
In April, the three defendants gave undertakings to the High Court's Chancery Division that they would not make such allegations, or say that the two firms treat their employees, agents and sub-contractors badly, or make any allegations about Mr Preece's private life.
They also gave an undertaking not to send harassing emails, letters, faxes, phone calls, newsletters or other communications to Mr Preece and Mr Hirst. However, on September 27, the court heard evidence that Mr Kingdom had broken these undertakings.
It heard evidence from Mr Preece, Mr Hirst, Taxifast IT manager Gary Rendle, Taxifast operations manager David Trace, Silverline boss Les Palmer, and one of Plymouth's most successful commercial property landlords Michael Hockin and his wife Diane.
The court heard that in a meeting with Mr Hockin, at the offices of his firm London and West Country Estates, Mr Kingdom alleged that Mr Preece would be jailed for money laundering and income tax evasion.
The court was also told that Mr Kingdom phoned Mr Trace, asking for a meeting and saying: "We can save you before it all goes down." He also said, the court was told, that he and Mr Manning and Mr Ruffles intended to set up a rival taxi business and poach Taxifast drivers.
The court also heard that Mr Kingdom phoned Mr Preece, in August, and said: "We have our licence now and you had better get out of town."
As well as being committed to jail, Mr Kingdom was ordered to pay 60 per cent of the claimants' costs. Mr Kingdom said: "I have given the judge an undertaking I will not discuss it,".
Mr Preece said his firm has been under 'sustained attack' from unsubstantiated allegations and had no option but to take legal action. He said he could only speculate that 'inexplicable' attacks on himself and his firm stemmed from 'jealousy'.
He called Mr Kingdom's sentence a 'fantastic victory for justice' but added: "We get no personal satisfaction out of this at all." Mr Preece and Mr Kingdom have known each other for many years, stemming from the taxi boss's time in the Conservative Party. Mr Preece said: "It's very sad when friendships dissolve in such bitterness. I'm not going to hold any malice against him."
In February Taxibank planned to create up to 200 jobs from the deal with Expotel which the firm said could see it handling taxi journeys worth between £10million and £20million every year.
It has been working on expanding its call centre at Faraday Mill Business Park but Mr Preece said: "We are now in partnership with Expotel but it caused a delay in that partnership when allegations were made to Expotel."
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