A serial fraudster who previously pretended to be in an induced coma to avoid facing justice has been jailed again after continuing to run a company despite being banned from acting as a director. Peter Etherington, 68, from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 18 months and two weeks in prison after admitting he continued to run PP Global Media Ltd, publisher of Professional Player magazine, while disqualified from being a company director. Etherington was already subject to a series of director disqualification orders, including bans running until 2028, 2031 and 2032. Investigators from the Insolvency Service found that between April 2019 and October 2022, Etherington was effectively the person controlling PP Global Media Ltd despite other people being formally listed as directors. He was found to have exercised control over staffing, finances and contracts and was involved in arranging a Bounce Back Loan. Investigators also established that Etherington received more than £100,000 from the company’s bank account, more than any of its registered directors. Judge Ahmed Nadim told Etherington that he had demonstrated “a complete absence of remorse, insight or any intention to reform”. The latest conviction is not Etherington’s first for breaching a director disqualification. He was convicted in May 2022 of acting as a company director while banned. During previous proceedings, Etherington became notorious for claiming he was unable to attend court because he was in an induced coma. Checks with hospitals reportedly found no record to support the claim and he was subsequently spotted shopping in Tesco. On another occasion, Etherington claimed he was undergoing surgery and therefore could not attend a hearing, but again investigators found no record supporting his explanation. Probation officials also reported that he missed an appointment after claiming he “didn’t have a phone”. Five months of his latest prison sentence relate to a previously suspended sentence which he breached by continuing to act as a director. Etherington has now been handed a further 10-year director disqualification, preventing him from acting as a company director until August 2036. He was also declared bankrupt shortly before being sentenced. Officials said Etherington had treated previous court-imposed bans with “utter contempt”, repeatedly becoming involved in so-called “phoenix companies” despite being prohibited from doing so. Investigators said his repeated conduct demonstrated a calculation that the potential “rewards outweighed the risks”. Etherington will now serve his latest sentence in prison.
