On the go: A trustee has been jailed after fraudulently taking more than £29,000 from a pension scheme.
Roger William Bessent was an administrator and trustee for the Focusplay Retirement Benefit Scheme. He transferred savers’ money into businesses he part owned and that were run by himself, his family and a client.
He was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on 29 March to 40 months in prison.
Mr Bessent had pleaded guilty to multiple counts of fraud, making banned employer-related investments and acting as a director while disqualified.
The convictions follow investigations by the Insolvency Service and the Pensions Regulator. It is the first time a prosecution by the pensions watchdog has led to an immediate custodial sentence.
Mr Bessent now faces further court action requiring him to repay the money.
Nicola Parish, the regulator’s executive director of frontline regulation, said: “By working with the Insolvency Service, we have brought Bessent to justice and will now go after the money he took from the pension scheme.”
She added: “This sentence shows how seriously the courts take the theft of people’s hard-earned savings.”
