Ex-BHS owner claims to be 'victim' as he hits out at Philip Green

The former owner of BHS has hit out at Sir Philip Green, claiming to be a “victim” of the retailer’s earlier failures after being hit with a £120,000 court fine.

Defending himself in Hove crown court on Friday, Dominic Chappell was found guilty of failing to provide vital documents to the pensions regulator following BHS’s collapse in 2016. The former racing driver’s re-sentencing follows a failed appeal earlier this year.

The judge, Christine Henson QC, criticised the 52-year-old serial bankrupt for showing a “complete lack of remorse”, and ordered him to pay a £50,000 fine and £73,900 in court costs.

But Chappell deflected criticism by claiming Green dodged responsibility for the company’s collapse, which resulted in 11,000 job losses and a £571m pension deficit.

Green last year struck a deal with the regulator to pay £363m towards the pension scheme.

“I’m not a Philip Green sitting on a £100m yacht in the south of France who writes a cheque for £350m to make the problem go away,” Chappell told the court.

Over the 15 years that Green owned BHS, his family and other shareholders pocketed at least £580m from BHS in dividends, rental payments and interest on loans. The billionaire tycoon then sold the department store chain to Chappell, who had no retail experience, in 2015.

Chappell told the court he regretted the decision. “I’m a victim of the circumstances that came out of British Home Stores. I wish to God we never got involved in it.”

The pensions regulator launched its investigation into BHS’s pension schemes shortly after the retail chain was sold to Chappell. It went on to issue two notices and a warning to the new owner in 2016.

Chappell, who represented himself in court as he says he cannot afford the legal fees, claimed he did “everything and more” to help the regulator. He was convicted of three charges of failing to provide information after a four-day trial in January.

He was originally ordered to pay more than £87,000, including a £50,000 fine. Chappell lost an appeal against his sentence in September, with a judge criticising him for giving “evasive and unbelievable” evidence to the court.

But he argued he could not provide information to the pensions regulator because he was locked out of the BHS offices after it fell into administration.

He also denied claims by the prosecutor that he failed to fully disclose his assets, including a yacht called Maverick II and a property in Marbella. Chappell said he did not own the boat and that the Spanish home was held in trust for his sick mother.

Nicola Parish, the pension regulator’s executive director of frontline regulation, said Chappell had “consistently refused” to provide the organisation with the information it demanded.

“Information notices are a vital investigative tool for us. As this case shows, if you ignore them, you are committing a crime and should expect to be prosecuted,” she said.

The pensions regulator said anti-avoidance actions against Chappell were still ongoing.