A house in Fife is at the heart of a scheme used by company bosses like Jamie Smith to dodge debts, leaving workers unpaid while they start fresh.
John Irvin’s Atherton firms operate there, helping bosses escape company debts. They offer “company rescue services” for winding businesses. One boss, Jamie Smith, used this scheme, leaving workers unpaid what they were owed.
The house is called Dunnock House. HMRC officers and debt collectors visit often. Police have been there too since Atherton started.
A person runs a mail drop service at that address, used by many reputable companies. However, shady businesses also use Dunnock House. Over 100 firms are in Atherton’s schemes.
Neville Taylor got banned after helping kill millions in debts. Atherton made him head of the firms, and he made £270,000 just for signing papers before the companies dissolved.
Owners get promised a fresh start, enabling them to legally leave debt behind and start new businesses. This allows them to keep their business going.
Taylor was banned for nine years back in January for repeatedly messing up the system. He signed up hundreds of companies, and John Irvin, Atherton’s boss, paid him.
Irvin runs Atherton Corporate Ltd and other dodgy businesses. When the Snow Factor ski slope shut down, its boss, Smith, used Atherton’s services. The Insolvency Service shut down seven firms linked to Atherton in September.
A source said the house is just a mailing service that gets hundreds of letters every day. These letters are from people wanting to get their debts paid.
Officials look for company directors there, often from one main customer. Police officers have visited several times as well.
Taylor used “Office 15” as his address, creating a fake business image. The house has four bedrooms in total.
Smith is sailing off Greece now. Taylor replaced him as director, which let him offload company debts as a result.
Fake directors like Taylor replaced bosses, who paid to shed liabilities. Some directors moved assets, believing the Atherton promise that they’d escape debt.
Creditors often can’t get their money back because assets get moved out of the failing business. It costs them more to chase the debts anyway, so a lot of mail collected at the house contains letters chasing debts for bills and taxes.
Tens of millions might be wiped out, temporarily, all happening at Dunnock Road. Creditors waste cash on debt recovery too, yet Taylor has no plans to pay those debts at all.
Liquidators wound up Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd and Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited last August.
Taylor got banned in January for nine years. He helped Irvin’s Atherton scheme for a long time.
