Dominic Chappell fined £87,000 for failing to give information about BHS pension schemes

Dominic Chappell, the businessman who bought BHS for £1, has been ordered to pay a total of £87,000 for failing to hand over information to The Pensions Regulator (TPR).

Chappell was sentenced yesterday after being found guilty of three charges of refusing to provide information about two of BHS’s pension schemes in January.

District judge Gary Lucie ordered Chappell to pay a £50,000 fine, £37,000 in costs and a £170 victim surcharge.

“The court must send a message to those in senior positions that refusal to answer questions under Section 72 will not be tolerated. The law is there for a purpose and it must be enforced. There is a complete lack of remorse on Mr Chappell’s part,” judge Lucie said.

Nicola Parish, TPR’s executive director of frontline regulation, said: “We prosecuted Dominic Chappell because despite numerous requests he failed to provide us with information we required in connection with our investigation into the sale and ultimate collapse of BHS.

“Choosing not to comply with our Section 72 notices has now left him with a criminal record and a bill for more than £87,000, both of which he could have avoided if he had simply done what was required of him.

“Information notices are a vital investigative tool for us. Ignoring them is a crime that can lead to prosecution.”

BHS collapsed into administration in April 2016.

Chappell’s lawyer previously said the former BHS owner was being used as a “political scapegoat” by the watchdog, which he claimed was desperate to be seen to be taking action after “15 years of negligence”.

Read more: Former BHS boss Dominic Chappell chased by regulator for £10m