Former BHS owner recalled to prison for breach of licence
The businessman, who acquired BHS in 2015 for £1, was recalled to jail last month for breaking conditions related to the consultancy work he was carrying out
Dominic Chappell, the former owner of BHS, has been made to return to HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset for breach of his licence conditions, The Times has reported.
The news follows his recent release in November 2023, having served half of his six-year sentence for tax evasion.
The businessman, who acquired BHS in 2015 for £1, was recalled to jail last month for breaking conditions related to the consultancy work he was carrying out.
It is understood that Chappell partnered with chef Marco Pierre White and his son, Luciano, to set up a trio of restaurants after his release from prison.
The Times discovered that Chappell had been consulting the group and hiring associates as directors.
According to sources, Luciano’s restaurant company had collapsed, and owed £30k in service charges and £100k in rent.
The Ministry of Justice said: “Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and we do not hesitate to recall them if they break the rules.”
Chappell’s jail sentence began in 2020 for evading more than a million pounds in taxes on income from his £1 deal to buy BHS after its collapse.
He was jailed for six years for evading VAT, corporation tax and income tax owed on his £2.2m income from the BHS deal.
Southwark Crown Court heard that Chappell’s offending was an “egregious example” of cheating the public revenue, with the businessman spending a fortune on a luxury lifestyle.
