A Billericay boss today spoke of his shock after being banned from running a company for seven years.

Ron Theobald, joint director of MEH(1996) Ltd, said he felt the sentence was too harsh following his disqualification by the High Court.

He said: "I was shocked to receive such a long ban. There was a man in front of us in court who had committed all sorts of criminal offences and he only got three years."

The court heard Mr Theobald and his partner Kathy Egglestone failed to co-operate with receivers and traded while their Stratford-based electrical engineering and manufacturing company was insolvent.

But Mr Theobald said a catalogue of problems caused the firm to plunge into receivership in 1996 with debts of almost half a million pounds.

The 58-year-old father, of Noak Hill Road, Billericay, claimed the company first ran into difficulties because it wasn't paid £128,000 owed for a major refurbishment job.

Then it had to deal with the theft of both money and equipment.

Mr Theobald said: "By this time we were experiencing serious cash flow problems and I arranged a personal injection of £230,000.

"Two days later receivers walked into our office. I was flabbergasted"

He phoned his bank who admitted there had been a misunderstanding but the receivers said it was too late to stop further action.

Mr Theobald said: "Both myself and Kathy Egglestone were convinced that had the original arrangements with our bank been allowed to continue we could have overcome the difficulties we were in."

The court refused to allow the directors' claims as mitigation and they were forced to accept they allowed their company, which employed 50 people, to trade while insolvent.

Mr Theobald was banned from running another firm for seven years and Ms Egglestone, 44, for six. Both still work for MEH in other posts.

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