Brighton magazine's previous owner banned as company director

The former publisher of Brighton lifestyle magazine Absolute, has been disqualified from being a company director until 2019, following a failure to submit VAT returns and payments to the tax office.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said Alan Michael Prior, 55, of Grand Avenue, Hove, director of Genersys Publishing Limited and former director of 12 other dissolved or liquidated companies, failed to pay his tax.

The disqualification will prevent Mr Prior from becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of any company until 2019.

The Insolvency Service criticised Mr Prior's 'unacceptable conduct'.

Liesl Cook, official receiver for Brighton and Croydon, said: 'This disqualification should serve as a reminder that the Insolvency Service will investigate unacceptable conduct by company directors. This includes the failure to deal adequately with a company's obligations to make payment to HM Revenue and Customs of VAT due.'

Genersys Publishing Limited (Genersys) was set up on January 15, 2009 and traded as a publisher of brochures for sports clubs.

Mr Prior was appointed director of Genersys on January 15, 2009 and became the sole director from March 25, 2010.  Genersys went into compulsory liquidation on October 28, 2013, upon the petition of HMRC, as a result of unpaid taxes.

An Insolvency Service investigation found that, from at least February 2011 onwards, Mr Prior had failed to make sure that Genersys complied with its statutory obligations to submit VAT returns and payments as and when due to HMRC. Mr Prior was also responsible for causing Genersys to trade to the detriment of HMRC.

As a consequence of Mr Prior's actions, Genersys owed £107,838 to HMRC in respect of unpaid VAT for the period between February 2011 and April 2012, which contributed to Genersys' total liabilities of more than £277,000.

During the same period, Mr Prior caused Genersys to pay consultancy fees totalling £124,775 to another company under his control, Afinis Limited, which also went into compulsory liquidation, on June 22, 2015.

Absolute Brighton is now owned and published by David Camici and Simon Darcy Abbott.

The new owners of Absolute magazine said they purchased it earlier this year, in April/May.

They said they have no ties with Mr Prior, and he has no involvement in the company at any level.