Michael Brunskill acted for the joint head of Challenor Property Developments in York.

Challenor was a York based property club which collapsed in 2008 sparking a police investigation into its dealings. The alleged loss to investors was £2.3 million and this resulted in charges of fraudulent trading. The case was complex and turned upon whether the business was deliberately kept running when insolvent to the detriment of its investors.

Under advice from Brunskill, D agreed to negotiate a plea with the Crown in order to limit his liability. He subsequently pleaded guilty on a limited basis. RH, the other joint head of Challenor chose to fully contest the charges and went to trial after which he was convicted.

D was sentenced to 3 years and 8 months custody and RH was sentenced to 4 years 2 months.