Pet Supplies Firm Led by Banned Director Shut Down

UK Gov

Company director has previously been banned three separate times

  • Furrry Pet Group UK Ltd has been shut down after it was revealed its sole director was Darren Anderson

  • Anderson, who has used several different aliases, has been disqualified as a company director for the maximum 15-year period on three separate occasions

  • The 41-year-old failed to comply with the Insolvency Service's latest investigation and accounts claiming the company had assets of more than £3 million were unable to be verified

A company which claimed to sell pet supplies but was run by a disqualified director serving a maximum-length ban has been shut down.

Furrry Pet Group UK Ltd, previously known until August 2024 as The Holiday Travel Group Ltd, was wound-up at the High Court in Manchester on Wednesday 26 March.

Insolvency Service investigations found that the sole director, Dr Darren Anderson, is currently serving a 15-year disqualification after being convicted under the name of Dr Timothy Ahlbeck in April 2021.

David Usher, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Our investigations into Furrry Pet Group revealed serious concerns that Darren Anderson appeared to have used various pseudonyms in a deliberate attempt to disguise his director disqualification.

Acting as a director while disqualified is a serious criminal offence and that alone would give us reason to take the action we have to stop the company from trading in the future.

The fact that unverified accounts exist showing net assets of more than £3 million only made us more determined to take the important first step in not allowing this behaviour to go unchecked.

Furrry Pet Group was established in December 2022 with Anderson as its director. The company's most recent registered office address was on New North Road in Islington, London, having previously been based in Manchester and Chester.

Anderson was serving a 15-year director ban at the time Furrry Pet Group was incorporated. The disqualification remains in force until April 2036.

The order prevents Anderson from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court. Failing to follow the restrictions can result in criminal prosecution.

Anderson also received 15-year director disqualifications in 2011 and 2014 under the pseudonym Miles Prestland-Windsor for misconduct relating to other companies.

Intelligence gathered by the Insolvency Service revealed other aliases Anderson has used which include:

  • Jonathan Briggis

  • Timothy Richard Skelding

  • Myles Prestland-Windsor

  • Simon Prestland-Windsor

  • Martin Jones

  • Michael John Poole

  • Jason Elwell

  • Lord Timothy Ahlbeck

  • The 18th Duke of Ahlbeck

  • Timothy Ahlbeck

  • Dr Timothy Albeck

  • Dr Timothy Halbeck

  • Darren Jones

There is also no evidence that Anderson is a doctor as he claims.

Anderson failed to co-operate with the Insolvency Service's investigation into Furrry Pet Group and did not provide accounting records on request.

The absence of any banking records meant that investigators were unable to identify any legitimate trading, customers or company expenditure.

Accounts filed at Companies House which claimed total net assets of £3.15 million were similarly not verified, as was the claim that Furrry Pet Group employed 20 members of staff.

A previous company run by Anderson, Zulu Travel Services Ltd, was wound-up in the public interest in the summer of 2024. Zulu Travel left other businesses out of pocket after using their services and misled members of the public, who could have bought holidays that they believed had travel protection. 

The Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator of Furrry Pet Group UK Ltd.

All enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to the Official Receiver of the Public Interest Unit: 16th Floor, 1 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, London, E20 1HZ.

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