PLEASE APPRECIATE THAT I GET SENT MORE INFORMATION AND LEADS THAN I CAN USE. I TRY TO RESPOND TO EVERYONE WHO CONTACTS ME BUT I CANNOT POSSIBLY USE EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION I’M SENT. DIOLCH YN FAWR
♦
Those who’ve followed this saga will know that we started off with Paul and Rowena Williams – and a colourful supporting cast – in Powys, at the Knighton Hotel and the Radnorshire Arms in Presteigne.
After allegedly selling their property empire in Powys and beyond to their associate, convicted fraudster Keith Harvey Part(d)ridge, for a reported £11m, Paul and Rowena decided to focus their entrepreneurial genius on Gwynedd. In particular, Plas Glynllifon, which they apparently bought in 2016.
Things did not go well, and it was no surprise when we witnessed the entry onto the stage of Myles Andrew Cunliffe of Lancashire towards the end of last year. Described by Paul Williams at the time as a ‘finance guy’ who was going to help them out of the hole they’d dug for themselves.
Anyone late to this feast may catch up with earlier servings here: Weep for Wales, Weep for Wales 2, Weep for Wales 3, Weep for Wales 4, Weep for Wales 5, Weep for Wales 6, Weep for Wales 7, Weep for Wales 8, Weep for Wales 9, Weep for Wales 10, Weep for Wales 11, Weep for Wales 12, Weep for Wales: A statement, Weep for Wales: further threats, Weep for Wales 13.
Some of those towards the end of the list will need explaining, so read on . . .
◊
UPS AND DOWNS
Just before Christmas I had a letter from a firm of solicitors in Chester demanding that I remove everything I’d ever written about Paul and Rowena Williams. I considered this to be an absurd and unreasonable request.
Which is why I refused to comply. Here’s the letter, together with my reply.
Though I wondered about that letter. Why would the Gruesome Twosome suddenly suspect that their glowing reputation for ethical dealings, paying suppliers and others on time, and not in any way being involved in mortgage fraud, was being sullied? Which is why I suspected that the letter had been prompted by Cunliffe, perhaps when he, or others, realised how well known the Williams gang had become.
I heard no more from Manleys of Chester.
But on March 26 I received, after dark, a hand-delivered letter. This was clearly in response to what I’d written about Cunliffe’s business past and possible associates a week earlier in Weep for Wales 12. Where, among other things, I’d mentioned a number of companies formed and then dissolved without any accounts being filed with Companies House.
Even so, I have to admit that this letter made me pause for thought. A letter from a solicitor is one thing; but a, ‘We know where you live’ letter from a guy with shady associates, delivered after dark, is something else. I took down Weep for Wales 12.
It was put back on August 25, and was followed on the 26th by Weep for Wales: a statement.
Which prompted a second hand-delivered letter from Myles Andrew Cunliffe on August 27. (This one pushed through my letter-box in daylight.) Another rambling missive listing ‘threats’ against him and his family that were never made, but threatening to put things right by ‘eradicating’ me! A clear threat on my life which I reported to North Wales Police.
After a few back-covering alterations Weep or Wales 12 went back up on August 29. Weep for Wales 13 soon followed. And now, here we are with Weep for Wales 14.
I should add that North Wales Police are still trying to get hold of Cunliffe, to warn him that threatening to ‘eradicate’ people is not the thing to do, but he’s proving elusive. As this text message from the NWP officer involved makes clear.
My position remains as it was set out in my response to Manleys of Chester and elsewhere. If I’ve made a mistake, then convince me of my error and I’ll amend it or remove it. But any threats will be passed straight on to North Wales Police.
◊
GOING FOR A SONG
In Weep for Wales 13 we learnt that after the liquidation of the holding company, Leisure & Development Ltd, the various pubs, hotels and caravan parks involved went up for auction.
I’m informed that all have been sold with the exception of the two Powys properties. Though it’s rarely that simple with the Williams gang.
For a start, I’m told that the Knighton Hotel was sold to someone who immediately put it back up for auction! Perhaps after realising that Paul and Rowena Williams still owned parts of this substantial property. They may still own the cellars!
When it comes to the Radnorshire Arms, a former regular at that hostelry tells me, “The Rad is awash with Chinese whispers, a local consortium, local millionaire, far away millionaire and possibly Donald Trump’s chiropodist are all interested!”
Though one thing worth pointing out, and a reminder of how Paul and Rowena Williams operate, is that when the Knighton Hotel went for sale at auction in May it failed to meet the reserve price of £375,000. It comes up for auction again on the 23rd of this month, with the guide price down to £310,000. “We expect some strong bidding”, says a hopelessly optimistic auctioneer.
UPDATE 23.10.2019: The Knighton Hotel did not sell.
Yet when the Knighton Hotel was bought in 2015 by their company Leisure & Development Ltd the Williams pair claim to have paid £2,881,599. In reality, they paid nothing – because they already owned it. But they still got a loan from the National Westminster Bank.
And it was the same with the Radnorshire Arms, for which they claim to have paid £3,487,049. Again, they got a loan from the NatWest.
And that’s why the NatWest is owed £6,202,405.45. But of course this has nothing to do with Paul and Rowena Williams – because they sold Leisure & Development Ltd and everything the company owned to Keith Part(d)ridge in February 2018 – don’t you remember!
That’s how they operated their mortgage fraud. They borrowed money from the National Westminster Bank to ‘buy’ properties they already owned. Where’s the money now? Who knows? Well, obviously, Paul and Rowena Williams know, but they aren’t telling. And, worse, nobody seems to be asking.
◊
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GWYNEDD?
I’ve mentioned Plas Glynllifon, the vast pile at Llandwrog, south of Caernarfon, but there are, or were, other Gwynedd properties in the Williams portfolio. The Seiont Manor hotel and restaurant at Llanrug, and the Fronoleu country hotel and restaurant near Dolgellau.
The Seiont Manor seemed to be a going concern, but the empty Fronoleu was just left to deteriorate further. Though I’m informed by a good source that the Fronoleu has very recently been bought.
So let’s look at what’s left of the Williams-Cunliffe empire after the collapse of Leisure & Development Ltd.
Polvellan Manor Ltd was dissolved on September 17. The only director at the end was Keith Harvey Partdridge.
Rural Retreats & Development Ltd is still with us, the two directors being Paul Williams and Myles Cunliffe. Though the shares are equally divided between Mylo Capital Ltd (a Cunliffe company) and Rowena Williams. After changing its registered address in December from Plas Glynllifon to a Manchester office, it moved again last month to ‘Llwyn y Brain Lodge, Llanrug’.
Llwyn y Brain may be close to Seiont Manor. Certainly the eatery at Seiont Manor is known as Llwyn y Brain Restaurant. Though seeing ‘Lodge’ in the name makes me think of the house at the end of the drive, on Llanberis Road. This picture shows the Lodge looking south west to Buarthau; Seiont Manor itself is north east of the Lodge.
The lender taking the hit on Rural Retreats & Development Ltd is Together Commercial Finance Ltd of Cheadle in Cheshire with seven outstanding charges. In addition, this company has made four loans on the Seiont Manor itself.
Rural Retreats & Leisure UK Ltd drifts along directorless since the mysterious Michael Jones – who is listed as holding all the shares – left on the last day of July. Companies House is still waiting for the accounts due by 31 December 2018. There is a charge held by the National Westminster Bank against everything the company owns.
Companies House has been informed of the situation but has taken no action.
Plas Glynllifon Ltd is in no better health than the other companies. It too shuffled from Plas Glynllifon to Manchester and now Llwyn y Brain Lodge. The two directors are Cunliffe and Rowena Williams (Paul Williams resigned last month) and the shares are split equally between Rowena Williams and Mylo Capital Ltd. It should go without saying that the accounts are overdue.
There are eight outstanding charges against Plas Glynllifon Ltd, all with Together Commercial Finance Ltd. Plus three on this title which I believe includes the big house.
Gwesty Seiont Manor Ltd was dissolved in May.
The Seiont Manor Hotel Ltd was dissolved in September. The final resting place being the Leintwardine office of accountant John Duggan, another convicted fraudster who’s been used a lot over the years by Paul and Rowena Williams.
Looking at the extant companies and the properties not in the hands of receivers I found 15 charges against companies and seven against properties, all with Together Commercial Finance Ltd.
But then, Commercial Finance Ltd itself has nine outstanding charges with the Royal Bank of Scotland. It’s the money merry-go-round.
- ‘Respectable’ banks raise money
- They will lend to chancers, fraudsters and con artists – once
- ‘Respectable’ banks also make loans to lenders of last resort like Together Commercial Finance Ltd
- Lenders of last resort then lend it to chancers, fraudsters and con artists who have exhausted their credit with ‘respectable’ banks.
- Chancers, fraudsters and con artists from England use money from both sources to buy property in Wales
- This may involve mortgage fraud, tax evasion and other ‘sidelines’
- Few if any jobs will be created for locals, certainly no good jobs
- These scams are hailed by ‘Welsh’ media and politicians as ‘investment’
- Once they’ve got enough money stashed away, aforementioned chancers, fraudsters and con artists go belly-up or leg it
- News media and politicians ignore such outcomes
- Receivers, security firms, auctioneers, etc – all from England – make money from property of liquidated companies
- The losers will be local staff, tradesmen and suppliers
- Wales loses out in every sense, especially if con artists have received public funding, which happens far too often
- Chancers, fraudsters and con artists start up again and cycle repeats itself
- Alternatively, their assets are taken over by serious crooks who use them to ‘refresh’ money from other ventures
This is not the capitalist system I support, and I find it worrying that so many agencies that should be intervening seem to dismiss it as ‘victimless’, white collar crime. It may even be regarded benevolently because it generates wealth and puts money into the UK economy, like drug trafficking and other criminal activity.
◊
THE BIG HOUSE
In the past few weeks I have received many notifications from Companies House regarding Myles Andrew Cunliffe and companies with which he’s associated, plus information from other quarters. So let’s look at just some of it.
I’ve mentioned Llwyn y Brain Lodge already, the new ‘home’ for Rural Retreats & Development Ltd and Plas Glynllifon Ltd, well it’s also the new address for the following Cunliffe companies:
- Glynllifon Mansion Limited
- Goldmann PLC
- Network Transport and Logistics.co.uk Limited
- Mylo Capital Limited
Which suggests that Myles Andrew Cunliffe is settling in nicely. Though in the case of the second company in the list, it transferred to Llwyn y Brain on September 16 but Cunliffe ceased to be a director on the 18th. Which is odd, because the only director remaining has no known connection with Wales, and he joined on the very day Cunliffe left.
In addition to these companies, Cunliffe joined Save and Support PLC (Incorporated 25 April 2019) as a replacement for James Ellis.
UPDATE 22:20: Save and Support may provide a thread worth following. On 20 August, the day that Cunliffe’s associate, Sean Colin Hornby, joined Save and Support PLC, three directors left. These were: Peter John Parry, Adam Peter Parry and Joseph Peter Parry, almost certainly father and sons.
We find them again at Parry Investment Group Ltd and Save and Support Group Ltd. It’s reasonable to assume that Save and Support Group Ltd is linked with Save and Support PLC.
What makes this interesting is that Parry senior is also a director of Creating Enterprise CIC, a subsidiary of Cartrefi Conwy Cyf, which is based in Mochdre, just a hoot and a holler from Grwp Llandrillo-Menai’s Llandrillo campus.
Elsewhere, you will remember that in the previous episode we looked at the strange case of Cunliffe’s business partner Dennis Rogers, and the possible connection with Arron Banks and the mysterious millions that funded the 2016 Leave campaign. (If you haven’t read it then I suggest you read Weep for Wales 13 now.)
It seems that since Weep for Wales 13 appeared on August 31 Dennis Rogers has been reducing his profile, ceasing to be a director of a few companies. I hope it was nothing I said!
But this section is titled The Big House for a reason. In the previous post I linked to this story from North Wales Live on July 8 which told us that Paul and Rowena Williams had bought Plas Glynllifon in 2016, and that Myles Andrew Cunliffe was now a 50/50 partner.
But then I got to wondering . . .
As you can imagine, I’ve got hundreds of documents and images for Paul and Rowena Williams and their associates – but did I have the Williams’ Land Registry title document for Plas Glynllifon? So I started searching.
All I could find for the Williams duo relating to Plas Glynllifon was this title document which refers to ‘land adjoining Glynllifon College’ for which £630,000 was paid in 2017. But nothing for Plas Glynllifon. So I went back to the Land Registry and did a map search.
I soon found the title for ‘The Mansion House and Glynllifon Estate’. The ‘Mansion House’ must refer to Plas Glynllifon. Which tells us that it’s all owned by Grwp Llandrillo-Menai, of which Coleg Glynllifon is a part.
In which case, how could Paul and Rowena Williams have bought Plas Glynllifon in 2016? And how could Myles Cunliffe now own half? I suppose there are a number of possibilities.
Perhaps the purchase of Plas Glynllifon in 2016 was not registered with the Land Registry. If so, why not? Why register the purchase of ‘land adjoining’ but not the Plas itself?
Maybe the Plas wasn’t purchased at all, maybe Paul and Rowena Williams entered into some kind of lease or rental agreement with Grwp Llandrillo-Menai. If so, what are the terms of this agreement? (Though the only lease shown on the title document is for an electricity sub-station.)
I’m genuinely confused, so I’d like some answers to a few simple questions:
1/ Who owns Plas Glynllifon?
2/ If Plas Glynllifon is owned by Grwp Llandrillo-Menai, what arrangement does it have with Paul and Rowena Williams; and now, Myles Andrew Cunliffe, and whoever Cunliffe might be representing?
3/ If Plas Glynllifon is owned by Paul and Rowena Williams/Myles Andrew Cunliffe and partner(s) – as they claim – why isn’t the ownership registered with the Land Registry?
UPDATE 05.11.2019: In the hope of settling the question of who owns Plas Glynllifon, the mansion, I wrote to Grwp Llandrillo-Menai.
The response I had yesterday was accompanied by a copy of the title document and plan for a sale of the Plas in November 2003. That sale was to Glynllifon Ltd, a company that was dissolved 24.06.2017. The sale was helped with a loan from the Welsh Development Agency. Though you’ll notice that Glynllifon Ltd was formed 07.11.2000. So why did it take so long to complete the sale?
The e-mail I received from the company secretary of Grwp Llandrillo-Menai concluded: “With regards to document CYM8531, thank you, the Grŵp will be following the matter of accuracy up with our Estate Solicitor and the Land Registry in due course.”
The clear suggestion being that the title document for Plas Glynllifon available at the Land Registry, showing the place to be still owned by Grwp Llandrillo-Menai, is wrong. I can only think that the Land Registry has not been notified of a change of ownership.
♦ end ♦
I have been told that Rikki Reynolds is working at one of Gavin Woodhouse’s hotels that is in administration so he must have finished his memoirs!
Bloody hell! Which one?
llandudno bay hotel Apparently but it’s assumed that he will be a temp as they won’t be able to take people on full time! As a recruitment agency that was stung by these lot many years ago I am taking great pleasure in there demise
Would be interesting to hear your latest on Gavin Woodhouse and also the Carlauren Group which is close to collapsing which owns https://www.barmouthsands.com/
It seems to be a very similar business model, even down to the unbuilt care homes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50058119
Keith Partridge sets up the ‘retirement home development’ model too. NB – the Garrack Hotel sale is expected to be finalised in Jan or Feb 2020. Similar Polvellan Manor retirement home plan seems to have failed.
Way off topic, but has to be said – Your relief at the Swans beating Cardiff is evident, but they’ll need to beat much better opponents than that to secure promotion. Also a purge is needed in the SA postcodes to get rid of those Union Jack waving subversives. Gives the city a bad name among Dragon loyalists down west and even in points east of Briton Ferry bridge.
Amen!
Yes, they’re a pain, and they’ve been around for quite a while in one form or another, but always boasting of the Glasgow and Belfast connections which make their position pretty obvious – sectarian bigots who support Loyalist paramilitaries.
That being so, you have to wonder why the club hasn’t taken action. Especially as it’s owned by US Jewish investors.
If the investors are aware of the Orange connection, and if their being Jewish influences their business decisions, we cannot exclude the possibility that they might have observed the pro-Jewish and pro-Israeli attitude of many Ulster Loyalists. In some parts of Belfast, one can gauge the confessional and constitutional allegiance of a neighbourhood by, inter alia, the particular Middle Eastern flag affixed to lamp posts.
I was thinking of the traditional anti-Semitism of the far right.
fashions change ! Now it’s more fashionable to be far left and anti Semitic, or specifically anti Jewish and anti Israeli. They tend to overlook the fact that Arabs are a Semitic group also.
There again all this may change over a few weeks as the groupthink fashion police might have a get-together and set some new trends for dopey fuckers to follow !
Jonathan Edwards suggests that devolving policing would somehow ( on capitation basis) yield another 20 million quid. Good work if the extent of your ambition is to remain wedded to Westminster and its tired formulae.
Is there anyone left in that shabby party willing to engage in radical thinking – like what would our national police force look like when we secede from UK ? I suspect that Plaid M.P’s like A.M’s are wedded to the old pay and conditions furnished by the colonialist power, especially the bit about juicy pensions. Sooner we ditch the “employment” nonsense and just pay them a decent monthly fee for their tenure the better for the country and the U.K.
The state of affairs you describe seems to have law enforcement functions carried out by freelancers under contract rather than by employed officials. This is a very interesting idea. We all hope very much that you will elaborate.
Clarification ! M.P’s and A.M’s should be paid monthly fees + regulated expenses for the duration of their tenure as they are elected for term of office. No payoffs or any other kind of dip into the public purse.
.
However you have prompted a thought , that maybe Senior police might be subjected to a similar contract as some of them have shown an unhealthy appetite for filling their boots. Most police officers should remain salaried.
Policing can only be effectively done by the consent of the communities being policed. This means that officers must be from and representative of those communities.
There are some police forces in Wales which are not effective in community policing due to officers appointed from over the border who opt by rank to settle in rural areas without having the correct feel for those communities. They risk becoming auxiliaries of occupation, and this means they cannot police effectively.
There is also a ‘skills drain’ in Welsh forces, where the best officers are often poached away, over the border, to higher paid and glamour roles, particularly to the Met. This can be addressed by setting up specialist roles like fraud, an ‘all Wales flying squad’, and there is also specific failure in dealing with offences against the person, trafficking and rape.
Wales is often seen as remote, both by offenders and by the Home Office. This results in ‘under the radar’ settlements for drug cuckoo activities, terrorism, paedophiles and money laundering with a police force not possessing the required skills. Wales is often used as a dumping ground for prolific offenders.
Part of the problem is pre-retirement transfers to the area when to which the officer plans to retire. It happens in the police forces and across the board, costing Wales thousands of jobs – and creating vacancies in England. But then, that’s how colonialism operates.
Some useful suggestions here. If Iceland, with the population of an exaggerated Swansea, can handle this kind of thing, there’s no excuse for our failing to organize law enforcement properly.
We already have elected Commissioners who generally have some connection with their regional forces. Having elected Chief Constables might also work as long as the candidates were properly qualified to say A.C.C level or have served in the judiciary, Home Office or similar capacity. Would need to ensure that the local spivs wouldn’t be able to have a crack just because voter turn out has been poor.
The even bigger issue here in Wales is why the need for 4 forces. Admittedly Scotland has had teething troubles with its national force but that should not prevent Wales from testing a new structure ( with H.Q away from Cardiff or any CF post code). Interesting that old coppers coming up to retirement seek a transfer into Wales while all the juicy early career opportunities cause younger officers to travel in the other direction. Why are they favoured for appointments when there must be talent within the 4 forces if they are good enough to be shipped off to England ?
The Republic of Ireland also has a single police force, that deals with Dublin gangsters, paramilitaries, and little old ladies riding to Mass in County Mayo with faulty lights on their bike.
Separate police forces only make sense if – as in the old days – they were based on a city or a county. But North Wales Police, covering Wrecsam, the Costa Crack, and crime-free rural areas, makes no sense. It’s the same with the other Welsh forces. Which means there is no justification for four police forces with all the expense and duplication involved.
And I also agree that the HQ must be well away from Cardiff. The only visits they need make to Corruption Bay should be to feel collars. Regularly.
Swansea strikes me as a suitable location in many ways for the HQ of a national force.
Thanks for the clarification.
Police Commissioners are a made up non-job. They have no role in operational matters. They were invented by Westminster as a sop to the rest of England (and Wales) after operational control for the Met was handed to the Mayor of London. Do away with PCCs. What we need in Wales is a Minister, an AM in the Senedd, with operational control. Operational matters can then be held to account at Welsh elections, just like in Scotland.
As an example, and it relates to my previous comment on D1 enquiry by gogplod to track down Mylo who made death threats to the editor of this blog. When the people smuggling container was found in Essex the vehicle details (cab) were tracked on ANPR bill of laiding of the ferry at Holyhead, and may well have resulted in further arrests in Cheshire by tacho tracking. Essential lines of enquiry if the person in custody is no comment.
Problem is, because the Wales is ‘not in the loop’ we had the farce of Rhun ap Irorwerth and the FM exchanging speculation in the Seneddd about a people smuggling route via the Irish and Celtic sea routes and the Brexit issue. In fact it was the cab that went through Wales not the container, it’s not borders that’s the issue with people smuggling but the market for slave labour. That market exists because UKBA stings after the event are no substitute for good community policing.
A Welsh minister for police, a Welsh residency permit and a Welsh work permit would not only kill the people trafficking market (like other European countries) but it would also assist in good community policing accountable for operational matters to our elected ministers.
All very cogent. You’d still want, at arm’s length s chief operating officer – the equivalent of the Garda Siochána Commissioner.
And we also need a properly-draughted bilingual Criminal Code, with both texts equally authentic.
Currently the Chief Constable of each force area plays that role in Wales. Its role is defined in statute, the appointment made by the PCC, and the authority awarded by the crown.
The problem in Ireland with Garda Siochána Commissioner is that it was born of their civil war (counter to the crown and RIC) and based on the American model. It’s open to political subversion and corruption. The president has the ‘hire and fire’ role.
In Sweden the Rikspolischef is appointed by the minister, it’s role defined by statute. The authority conveyed and the hire and fire role is conducted by rikspolisstyrelsen, a kind of national police board made up of elected members of local authorities. This allows for central direction in cases of national emergency but local accountability in community policing.
The Rikspolischef system removes the disconnect with the people that can be experienced in some states in the US and private armies that the Irish experienced during the civil war. Essentially, for Wales, like Sweden, it’s the same as the chief constable only removing the role of the crown and replacing it with a committee of the people.
There is a command problem often referred to as a ‘mayors veto’ in Sweden when deployment of national units of expertise (armed and riot units) most recently experienced with civil unrest in the migrant community, but that is a consequence of an open liberal democracy. The concept is hard force used lightly.
All very cogent. Can’t disagree.
Some sort of national commission, perhaps, with powers of appointment?
That’s not what I am saying. No commisars, commisioners or commisions. Just elected representitives. If they fail, they get booted out by the voters. Applies not just to policing.
Completely off topic, lovely Bethan is rumored to be heading for motherhood. Does that mean that the offspring will be registered as gender fluid or some other trendy flexible term ? There again give it 9 months or less and the whole fad will have moved on to something else. Such is the world of fashion.
Non sequitur.
Bethan Sayed is concerned about being unable to fulfil her role as an AM while pregnant. Of course, this does not preclude her from chairing events at Cardiff Film festival and many other ‘moonlighting’ activities involving the media and arts. She has difficulty reaching for the voting screens in the Senedd but is well disposed to voting for niche film awards at media banquets in Cardiff. Strange that. Has she signed a contract with Hello magazine yet?
We desperately need a Welsh equivalent of this esteemed journal. Could we call it Henffych! ?
Sadly in her case there is no such thing as a “Goodbye” magazine !
That text from Dolgellau police station says gogplod are experiencing difficulty getting hold of Mylo at his registered business address. He must have a driving license as he runs a car loan enterprise. His current residential is available from DVLA on a D1 enquiry, last known somewhere in Lancashire. If he’s actually now resident at Llwyn y Brain Lodge, Llanrug, just off the A4086 near Caernarfon then it’s a D741 fail that can be loaded on ANPR for traffic, for reason being suspect in crime number already recorded. The traffic stop starts with a £1000 fine, then the chat starts. Note – Y Ddraig Goch defect on driving license is also a D741 defect but they don’t suck eggs in Carmarthenshire.
Given the history of GogPlod, thanks to the pernicious influence of Freemasonry (certainly on the north coast), and the connections that might be emerging, the ‘difficulty’ in contacting Mylo does not surprise me.
If you steal money from a bank and there’s only one person present it’s called burglary, if there’s is two people present it’s called robbery, if there’s three people present it’s called an inside job. Who’s the mark?
Answers, please, on a postcard …
Authorities and MSM ( or maybe the other way around) picked up on the Gavin Woodhouse story with reasonable speed after Jac started peeling the onion for them. It remains highly doubtful whether anyone would have got off his/her arse had our man not done all the early spade work for them.
However his voluminous research on the antics of the Williamses, Cunliffe et al has not yet provoked any kind of visible response. True there may be something going on out of plain sight but having so much info already exposed and into the public domain I think most of the likely interested agencies would have signalled their “on going investigations/ enquiries”.
Or are they still in the stage of covering a few arses dragging a few branches through the trail markings before declaring a “sanitised” discovery ?. Given all the hanky panky in these cases it is fair to suspect that there are politicians and officials who would be covered in a nasty spray if these cases were addressed in a wholly transparent fashion.
One element in the studious ignoring of this matter is the fact that many of the people working in the various media nowadays simply won’t able to understand. Never having worked their way up via the flower shows, funerals, and magistrates’ courts, they wouldn’t recognize a door, let alone know how to stick their foot in it.
Very interesting, the banks are very quiet???
But what’s six million pound to a bank?
Quite.
Looking at, say, the career of Robert Maxwell (who, like Nick Leeson, seems to have been operating what is now standard banking practice), it’s hard to see why the relevant banks weren’t charged as accessories.
Mug an old lady and the whole street reaches for pitchforks. Rob a bank and the whole street reaches for beer. Banks also value their reputation and can provide obstacles in criminal investigations. It’s in their nature. For a detective, the best mode of entry to a bank is via the insurance subsidiary. That’s where industry wide data sharing exists and motive resides to reduce losses. Not the front door. Then you get a warrant. Who insures the building?
The co-director of this new company, Save & Support Plc, is Cllr Sean Colin Hornby. Hornby who is a former Labour councillor in Bolton, Lancashire. After he received a caution after admitting using his personal car as a taxi without a licence, he has since defected to Ukip and leads the Ukip on Bolton council.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/cabbie-councillor-suspended-912682
Now.
http://democracy.bolton.gov.uk/cmis5/People/tabid/62/ctl/ViewCMIS_Person/mid/480/id/638/Default.aspx
His day job is now landlord of a pub called The Queens, located at Bradley-Fold half way between Bury and Bolton. Hornby was not only a Labour councillor, he was also treasurer of Bolton Constituency Labour Party, a role where he was suspended when they discovered a few thousand pounds missing.
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/8095166.police-probe-into-missing-election-money/
When Myles Cunliffe was appointed director of Save & Support Plc (20th August 2019) a Mr Peter John Parry resigned from the board the same day. Mr Parry is listed as a magistrate and is currently director of Creating Enterprise CIC. This is based in Mochdre, which if I get my geography right is within a stones throw of the Grwp Llandrillo-Menai campus at Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, and as your title deed records are the real owners of the Plas Glynllifon building.
Weird !!
I suspect the other two named Parry who resigned on the same day are his sons. They all appear again in the Parry Investment Group Ltd, of St Asaph, formed on St George’s Day this year.
And as you say, Parry pere is also a director of Creating Enterprise CIC, and the parent company is Cartrefi Conwy Cyf, a social housing provider. Or at least, it was. CECIC had a turnover in 2018 of £5.4m, up from £1.3m the previous year. The money seems to be made by doing work for the parent company. So what’s the advantage of this arrangement?
Cunliffe joining Save and Support PLC suggests a link with a man well connected on the Costa Geriatrica and beyond. This merits further investigation.
So what’s the advantage of this arrangement?
When old people can no longer cope living in their retirement home on the coast they may wish to liberate cash from their property, a kind of annuity to generate an income to pay care and rent, as they move into sheltered housing. I suspect that this is what “Save and Support PLC” was set up to do. Trouble is, shares in a PLC are openly traded and I expect the Parry family scampered as soon as Cunliffe entered the board room. The question arises as to how safe is the life savings of these elderly people now? What role does Cartrefi Conwy Cyf in assisting these vulnerable people in signing away their home and life savings?
The purpose of a CIC as a subsidiary of an outfit like Cartrefi Conwy Cyf is to gain access for grants for stuff like wheelchair ramps, fall alarms and motorised stair lifts.
There’s also a Save and Support Group Ltd with the three Parrys as directors. The same name suggests a link with Save and Support PLC.
If this ever reached the level of what passes for national news coverage in our colonised homeland, and got people questioning the status quo at a large scale, then you bet the establishment will wheel out some royal soap opera bollocks for a bit of bread and circuses to distract the plebs. A bit like today, what with Brexit looming in a matter of days and the ongoing shitshow that is the UK state in disarray, some kind of tiff between Ponce Willy and Harry Hewitt made the front pages. I’m almost convinced the timing of this is no coincidence, and when looked at under a dispassionate, analytical eye (i.e. one possessed by someone who isn’t bedazzled by this anachronistic pageant) can only ever be described as patently absurd as front page news goes.
Royal Family provides an endless supply of deflection stories ranging from sugary stuff about babies, engagements etc to the more juicy “Bro hates Bro” junk when there is a need for a more intense diversion of attention. Sadly a large slice of the populace are hooked on this stuff and go for it every time, even phoning in to the odious Jason’s BBC Wales radio morning show to vent their irrelevant views on matters of no consequence.
It’s a sad indictment of us as a “nation” that this bejeweled toss actually works.
It would be very interesting to get a look at the deeds for Plas Glynllifon. They would show the sale-history of the property and the name(s) of the previous and current owners. If they contain false information, that’s a criminal offence, surely?
Should that be the case then there would be a more serious offence of a false instrument, especially if there have been loans taken out which have been secured on the building. In other words if you only own the front lawn, not the building, and you use your ownership of the lawn to dupe a lender into thinking you own the whole estate for purposes of getting a loan, then it’s fraud. As you say a look at the deeds will tell what’s gone on.
Which would make the NatWest loan an act of fraud, then, yes?
The answer to that question is best left to criminal legal process rather than a statement on this blog.
I expect the first stage of an investigation such as this would be an interview of a suspect, a signatory of the loan agreement. It is important to establish the motive of intent. In classic cases of domestic conveyance it is usually a mistake by the solicitor of one of the parties involved, where the magnifying glass is not correctly used to ponder the line of a boundary or interpretation of archaic rights. Such ‘mistakes’ is about the only time you have your solicitor work for free to sort out a mess after the event, they being fearful of the bank launching a recovery process of a misplaced loan.
If a motor vehicle turns out to be stolen, the title automatically returns to the correct owner, and buyer beware. Any finance deal still holds usually by reason of a get-out clause in the small print of a loan. However, the reason why mortgage arrangements secured on real estate with a bank are so complex is because they ensure the expressed terms protect their interest overriding any such ‘mistakes’. Which is why a good conveyance solicitor is always good advise.
I observe Myles Cunliffe has a background in second-hand car finance. Perhaps he has mistaken Plas Glynllifon for a clapped out Vauxhall Astra? Intent can be indicated in the ‘for purpose’ negotiation of the finance arrangement. You cannot fix the masonry of a lawn. It is for this reason that when an individual takes out a personal loan from a bank they always ask for what the finance is for. It’s not because they have any interest in conservatories or bathrooms. It validates intent and moves the landscape from civil to criminal legal process.
If plod cannot find Cunliffe, they can call NatWest.
Amen!
This nicely (stricto sensu) illustrates a twofold problem at the centre of Welsh life:
there are certain classes of person believing themselves to be above the Law;
they are correct.
Who owns what at Glynllifon is a real headache ,, You have a cafe – workshops – park – timber workshop and of course the mansion and the college , who owns what is the question ..
My understanding is that the workshops are all rented. The Land Registry title documents states quite clearly that the ‘Mansion House and Glynllifon Estate’ is owned by Grwp Llandrillo-Menai. The Mansion House has to be Plas Glynllifon. And if that’s true, then I don’t understand how Paul and Rowena Williams can claim to own Plas Glynllifon, with Myles Cunliffe now having a 50% stake.
CYM8531 – The mansion.
In the title deed there is a ‘Right of Pre-Emption’ held by the college for a period of 15years from 2nd April 2003. This means that should any new owner decide to subsequently sell the property before 2nd April 2017 then the college must be given first refusal. This means that the property could not be advertised on open market or sold at auction. The vendor can only sell it by private treaty. This would also explain why the price stated says “Not Available”. It also means that if the college had sold it, they would also have first refusal to buy it back. The title deed clearly shows that the college now hold the title. Had it been sold after 2nd April 2017 then I would expect this to be done on the open market and therefore a value to be recorded on the title deed. The minimum fee to transfer title under a right of pre-emption by private treaty is the sum of £1. However, should a liquidator be required to dispose of the asset to satisfy charges it would be usual to appoint an independent valuation by agreement of both parties involved in the transfer treaty.
Another great chapter in this ongoing blatant fraud. Just gob smacked as to why the SFO or any other departments are not doing anything about this. It’s getting more common and is damaging the reputation of the UK, as if the politicians aren’t doing enough of that themselves.
As said, it is white collar crime and nobody does anything about it.
Unfortunately white collar crime and fraud are too often regarded as ‘victimless’, and ignored by the media because there’s usually too much work involved in getting to the bottom of things.
The media in Wales is just a relayer of press releases and a reporter of court proceedings; publications padded out with op-ed pieces, sport and advertisements. And because so many newspapers – Western Mail, for example – rely on official ads and announcements to stay afloat they won’t rock the boat.
On this particular topic, Frank Pearce’s classic Crimes of the Powerful is very illuminating.