Scott Dylan, 41, and David Antrobus, 39, have been disqualified as company directors for 13 and 10 years respectively after the High Court in London ruled on Thursday 4 December 2025 that more than £13.9 million was moved through company bank accounts funded by unarranged overdrafts. The Insolvency Service confirmed the bans begin on 25 December 2025.
According to the Insolvency Service, Antrobus opened accounts for Oldcoft Ltd and Old3 Ltd in spring 2021, naming Dylan as the primary contact. At the time of the misconduct the companies traded as FT (OPS) Limited and Fresh Thinking Group Limited. Barclays subsequently froze the accounts after identifying substantial activity funded without arranged facilities.
Between mid‑July and late September 2021, more than £13.9 million was transferred into Oldcoft Ltd’s current account from 10 connected companies. During the same period over £11.7 million left that account, including £1.675 million paid to Dylan, more than £7.4 million moved to Old3 Ltd, and at least £1.545 million routed to other connected entities. In August 2021, a Euro overdraft funded 37 transfers totalling €1.795 million to a family member; liquidators reported no evidence to substantiate Dylan’s claim this related to a hotel purchase in Turkey.
Barclays obtained freezing orders on 24 September 2021 and, within a fortnight, demanded repayment while seeking explanations for the transfers. The court later heard that the pair’s actions had, in the judge’s words, been “little short of a scam” and lacked any legitimate purpose.
Insolvency followed across the structure. Ten connected companies entered provisional liquidation in November 2021. Oldcoft Ltd was wound up in January 2022 with an estimated £44 million deficiency, including about £13.7 million owed to Barclays, while Old3 Ltd entered administration in April 2022 with an estimated £8.2 million shortfall.
Both men breached the freezing orders by transferring a group of companies to two British Virgin Islands entities without informing Barclays. In October 2024, each received a 22‑month sentence for contempt of court; Antrobus was sentenced in his absence and a warrant of committal was issued.
Under Civil Procedure Rule Part 81, courts dealing with contempt may impose imprisonment, a fine or other sanctions where orders such as freezing injunctions are breached. Committal orders take immediate effect unless suspended by the court and are subject to enforcement and appeal rules set out in the CPR.
Disqualification is a civil measure under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. Section 1 provides that a person subject to an order must not, without the court’s permission, act as a director or take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company. Unless the court directs otherwise, the period ordinarily starts 21 days after the order-aligning here with the Christmas Day commencement.
Insolvency Service guidance confirms the practical effect of disqualification and that contravention is a criminal offence. Directors remain legally responsible for actions taken during their period in office and must step down once an order or undertaking is in place.
The regime also allows for compensation orders. Under section 15A CDDA, the Secretary of State may, within two years of a disqualification order or undertaking, seek compensation where the conduct that led to disqualification caused loss to creditors; a voluntary compensation undertaking may be accepted instead. Whether such action follows in any given case is a separate public‑interest decision.
Background disclosed by the Insolvency Service shows Dylan had given a court undertaking in September 2019 while separate disqualification proceedings relating to SDRW Limited were ongoing; those proceedings concluded in September 2025 with an eight‑year disqualification for acting as a director while bankrupt between July 2013 and July 2015. Antrobus was declared bankrupt in August 2025 and failed to maintain and deliver Oldcoft Ltd’s records to the liquidator.