An Ilkley businessman will appear in Crown Court next month to answer charges that he acted as director of a company while being banned from doing so.
Peter Etherington, 69, appeared at Bradford Magistrates Court on Friday morning to answer a charge of contravening a disqualification order.
The charge relates to his alleged role as director of PP Global Media LTD between April 2019 and October 2022.
Etherington, of Belle Vue, Ilkley, gave no indication of what his plea will be, and the case will next be heard at Bradford Crown Court after Magistrates agreed the charge was so serious they did not have adequate powers to sentence.
Etherington was due to appear in court to answer the charge last month, but on that occasion the court was read a letter, purporting to be from a family member, saying he had been placed in an induced coma before Christmas.
A representative of the Insolvency Service, the national body prosecuting the case, cast doubt on this claim, saying he had been spotted shopping in Tesco, and updated his Facebook profile while alleged to be in the coma.
Magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest, and this was executed, with Etherington ordered to appear in Magistrates this Friday.
He appeared before Magistrates when he was read the charge, that “Between 10/04/2019 and 28/10/2022 at Ilkley, being the subject of a disqualification order made on 03/10/2025 by Bradford & Keighley MC under section 13 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, acted in contravention of the order in that You acted as a director or in the management of PP Global Media Limited whilst disqualified from acting as a director and without leave of the court.”
He did not give any indication of his plea.
Mr Holsgrove, of the Insolvency Service, said evidence would include witness statement from people involved in the business during this period.
He said there were 830 pages in the court “bundle” adding: “This is a factually complex case.”
He said charges of this type can lead to prison sentences of up to two years.
Giving background to the case, Mr Holsgrove said: “In 2017 he was disqualified from acting as a director, with that disqualification expiring in 2028.
“A further disqualification was imposed in 2020, which expires in 2031.
“In 2022 a third disqualification was imposed, which expires in 2032.
“The defendant has previously been convicted of acting as a director, and received 12 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months.
“Because of that history, it is my submission that the level of seriousness means magistrates have inadequate sentencing powers.”
Magistrates agreed, and told Etherington he would need to appear at Bradford Crown Court on March 13.
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