A door step lender/debt collector who traded as Mr Superloan has failed in his appeal over the removal of his consumer credit licence.
Doorstep lender Kevin Duke, who operated in Sunderland as Mr Superloan, has been stripped of his consumer credit licence after failing to reveal his long and violent criminal past.
Duke had failed to fully disclose his history of criminal convictions on his licence application.
When he applied to the Office of Fair Trading to run a doorstep loans business charging up to 800% interest, he admitted he’d been jailed for 15 months for handling stolen goods. Duke left out an assault causing actual bodily harm in 1995, theft, violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon in 1997 and two offences of handling stolen goods in 1998. Further police checks revealed he had been arrested in 2007 and 2011 on suspicion of criminal damage but not charged. Police found a machete, a baton and three knuckledusters during a search of his home in 2010, though no charges were brought.
He had appealed the OFT decision, but the first-tier tribunal, the independent judicial body ruling onOFT appeals, refused it on 29 May.
A 28-day appeal period concluded on 27 June, meaning Duke is now banned from engaging in any home collection credit business and has until 31 July to wind down his business.
David Fisher OFT director of consumer credit, said:
“We will take action to protect consumers against anyone who fails to disclose relevant information about criminal convictions on their licence applications.”
“Duke collected money by visiting people’s homes and he failed to demonstrate the integrity we require of someone in that position.”