Shaun David Dixon, 43, a self-employed electrician from claimed Bounce Back Loans totalling £23,750 for his business in the summer of 2020.

Dixon was made bankrupt in November 2023 and the Official Receiver found that Dixon had claimed two separate loans – a breach of the Bounce Back Loan scheme.

The investigation also found that Dixon had exaggerated his turnover on his second application to claim extra money he was not entitled to receive under the scheme’s rules.

The Official Receiver discovered that Dixon had originally claimed a Bounce Back Loan worth £7,500 in June 2020, and claimed the second loan, worth £16,250, a month later.

Under the rules of the Bounce Back Loan scheme, businesses could claim up to 25% of their 2019 turnover, with a maximum loan of £50,000.

Businesses which originally borrowed less than the maximum amount available to them could apply for a top-up loan. But the first loan plus the top-up must not have been more than 25% of their turnover, as stated in the original loan application.

In his second loan application, Dixon overstated his turnover by £43,000, which resulted in him receiving the second loan of £16,250 which he was not entitled to.

The Official Receiver secured a seven-year Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking from Dixon, in which he did not dispute that he provided inaccurate information in the application for the second loan.

Bankruptcy restrictions now prevent Dixon from acting as a company director without the court’s permission and from borrowing more than £500 without declaring that he is subject to the restrictions. They also prevent him from holding certain roles in public organisations.

His undertaking – in which he agrees to the sanctions – extends his original bankruptcy restrictions from the standard 12 months until 16 October 2031.