On 13th March at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Chris Daw QC secured the freedom of a Manchester businessman who illegally lent large sums in business loans to 30 friends, businesses and associates. Craig LaPenna, 57, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, avoided a prison sentence after Chris Daw QC, defending, successfully argued that without LaPenna’s financial aid, many of the business would have been forced to declare bankruptcy after requests for credit from banks and other mainstream lenders were declined.
The court heard how a former bank manager was loaned £5,000 before borrowing a further £40,000 to support his kitchen and bathroom company, with a former school friend commenting that “it was often cheaper than using official loans because you pay off the debt early. It was a rolling facility and I was never put under any pressure. Craig is a godsend and a gentleman”. Chris Daw QC asserted that the case was not inclusive of threats of violence, as is somewhat typical in cases of money laundering, and that without the illegal loans, many would have lost their businesses or have faced heightened financial difficulty.
Read the comprehensive account of this news story via Daily Mail and Manchester Evening News.
Chris Daw QC is a highly-recommended crime, fraud and regulatory silk who has a niche practice advising and representing high net worth individuals in sensitive personal and criminal matters, where the consequences for a client’s reputation may outweigh the gravity of the issues involved. He also advises individuals and corporations on the tactical use of criminal law strategy, such as private prosecution, in both personal and commercial disputes.
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